The Chase
by 26Chapters
Summary: Chi-Chi learns to expand her limits, when her husband returns home fused together with Black.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1, **All The Earth.**

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In a smoggy city in the distant future, not a ghost of a move can be seen, not a whisper of a sound can be heard, and not even a vapour of a thought can be felt. It can almost be said that no life is present in the city, for the lack of activity.

However, there _is_ life in the city.

In between the destroyed buildings and upturned grounds, in the midst of the aftermath rubble, is a group of seven beings, who for the life them, can't seem to make their bodies move, or let go of the breaths that they tightly held in when the sudden change happened.

From a palely green-skinned Zamasu in the air, to the group of three huddled together, made up of Bulma, Trunks and Mai, and then to the second group of two deities, made up of Gowasu and Supreme Kai, and then lastly to the lone Saiyan Vegeta, with blue hair sticking up towards the sky, none of the seven beings can even dare to think of doing anything.

All of them, from the first one in the sky, to the last one on the ground, can only keep their eyes fixed on the heavy concentration of white smoke in the sky, just a little way to Zamasu's right side, that is the result of the sudden change that just happened.

Hardly any of the six beings on the ground can believe that it really happened, least of all Zamasu in the air, who had been in the process of fusing with himself from another timeline. The change happened so swiftly, so unexpectedly, that no one was given appropriate time to digest the fact that Goku used his Instant Transmission technique to roughly cut Zamasu off from reaching Black, consequently shoving him to the side. It all happened in a fast blur, that even Zamasu didn't realise that Goku ripped the earring off his right ear, before the white smoke suddenly appeared and the very core of the planet vibrated. That vibration, the effect of it, made all seven of the observing beings simultaneously suck in their breaths and keep the exact pose that they held, without moving even a mini fraction of their bodies.

While there could be no mistaking what that vibration meant, they all silently agreed, without consulting each other, that they had to keep their eyes on the smoke to confirm the inevitable truth. None of them could be sure of what really happened. None of them could say with certainty that Goku placed the earring on his ear, neither could they deny that the earring in Goku's hand, simply continued to gravitate to its brother like it had been in the process of doing. All of them could only be sure of the fact that somehow, Black and Goku fused. And now, their waiting in absolute silence, their waiting to see what will appear when the white cloud of smoke disperses, has finally come to an end.

As the smoke thins, signaling the end of whatever had been going on on the other side of the cloud, the ground begins to shake. The shaking is a colossal difference from the earlier vibration that scared all of them enough to root them in place, and consequently more haunting. But even with the shaking ground, no one dares to make a move to grab hold of something to keep them steady.

'All the Earth,' a smoothly calculated and delivered voice breaks through the thinning smoke before any form appears from it, 'behold…'

Although the ground stops shaking, as though yielding to the words spoken from the air, the haunting aura of an ambience that it produced, still lingers in the air, more concentrated in the hearts of the seven observing beings. If any of them could move enough to tremble, they'd surely do it.

'A being supreme,' the smooth voice continues, his words waiting for each other with pristine precision, 'a being finally made complete, a being wholly perfect…'

More of the smoke disperses, first presenting an outline of the figure behind it. Even through the smoke, an eminent power penetrates to reach all the seven observers and plant deeply hallowed fear in their hearts.

'Revere me,' the voice announces in a calm command, 'for I am…'

The cloud of smoke gradually disappears until there's nothing of it left to see, except the reveal that it kept hidden behind it. No longer covered by the smoke, a being dressed in black baggy trousers, a long-sleeved orange shirt and a black short-sleeved garment over it, appears without effort. Both of its arms are outstretched on either side of it, to properly exhibit itself in all its glory; its spiky black hair, its glinting grey eyes and its condescending smirk, enough to send crawling insects down one's spine.

'Zamaku,' it finishes evenly, growing its smirk even wider.

Not a ghost of a move can be seen, not a whisper of a sound can be heard, and not even a vapour of a thought can be felt. It can almost be said that no life is present in the city, for the lack of activity.

However, there _is_ life in the city.

And the life in that smoggy city in the distant future, is terrified to death of the being that just surfaced from the now gone smoke.

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Chapter 2, **Becoming A Legend.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, **Becoming A Legend.**

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Up in the air, immediately following the second that Zamaku makes his announcement, a sharp sound of something small bursting apart, taints his reveling smirk with a slight frown on his face. More annoyed at the slight interruption than curious to know what made the sound, he stealthily moves his eyes from his left to his right, to find out what just happened to cut through _his moment_.

He hates interruptions!

Nonetheless, hate them as he may, he can't afford for anyone to see him out of keeping with the terror ambiance that he just created. Maintenance of his smug posture, is key, and thus, he has to stealthily search for the disruption without making everyone aware of him doing so. For the announcement that he just made, he can't contradict it by giving off any sign of displacement.

He hates contradictions!

Carefully, he makes his shining silver eyes slide to his left, and apart from a stone-like Zamasu, there's nothing that catches his attention enough to believe that the small shattering noise came from there. On his right side however, just as his eyes turn that way, he barely manages to catch sight of the last fragments of what had once been his time ring, splatter off his index finger and continue to fall down to the ground below.

Strange, his frown deepens, he didn't even _feel_ the disbanding of his ring on his _own finger_. As a supreme being, all of his body parts should be subject to his mind, reporting even the slightest painless scratch that it receives, and yet, his finger couldn't alert him that it was losing the time ring? His impatience is aroused almost instantly, involuntarily making him bring his right hand in front of his eyes for a closer look, even though he knows that a closer look won't make his time ring come back to take its place on his index finger.

 _His time ring_ , he thinks, feeling his impatience morphing into rising frustration within him. _His precious time ring_ , he presses his teeth hard together, to clench his jaw. Looking at his now empty index finger, Zamaku feels just a little short of abdicated, like he gave up something that he wasn't _ever_ supposed to lose.

 _Your deity status,_ floats in his head like a soft taunt that wants nothing but to make him doubt himself. The strange thing is, Zamaku doesn't feel like the taunt-like thought came from his _mind_ , but rather from his heart, which doesn't feel like it's a complete part of him either. Strange, he thinks again, only this time, he doesn't deepen his frown like he did the last time.

 _No matter_ , he pulls in a long breath through closed eyes to lull his rising frustration, _time ring aside, he still has two things that more than make up for the loss of the time ring._ Thinking this, he quickly tucks his hand behind his back, easily reclaiming his previous smirk once again. Casting his eyes to his observers below, he continues to remind himself that there are two things that confirm his supremacy, even _without_ the ring.

There's the deeply accelerated endless flow of two energies merging into the same body, becoming more solidified and fortified, even thrilling, that's making his smirk spread further beyond than where it should be able to stretch. And then, then there's the arousingly exhilarating silence of fear from his spectators.

Though the energy rushing through his veins and then breathing out through his open pores thrills him far more than anything probably would ever be able to, it's the fear, the glorifying fear from the observing crowd, that makes him feel _vastly_ alive and invincible.

 _Oh_ , the venerated way their fear makes him _feel_ , his smirk spreads to his eyes, making them glow even more than they'd been doing. From the barely-powerful-in-comparison Zamasu, to the lesser-than-Zamasu Vegeta, their fear is wholly perfect and satisfyingly delightful to take note of.

As he moves his eyes from one individual to another, he wonders, if he lets out a slow calculated laugh, just to test the extent to which the sound of his laughter can further intimidate his feeble observers, will that exceed his satisfaction level and go even further beyond?

Or, he continues to wonder, if he says something more, in a smoothly condescending tone, just to see how much fear can etch into the lines of his spectators' faces and stilled bodies from his mere words alone, will that feed him just right, to the extent to which someone like him should be fed?

'He-he-he-he,' he finally settles on letting out of his mouth, deciding that he'll do neither.

His laugh, is more to delight in the many options that he has, than to test how far the sound of his laughter can cause the group to jump out of their skins. And just then, the idea of his observers jumping out of their skins, sparks him to try one very important thing, which is only for himself, but if it manages to settle more fear inside his observers, all the better for him.

Setting himself up properly, Zamaku angles his left ankle in a partly bent and partly ready-for-flight position, shifting his left leg, so that it looks almost slanted. His right leg, he folds just the slightest bit at the knee, before moving on to adjust the straight line of his back, to a curved angle, which is a perfect pose for beginning a fight. To complete his pose, Zamaku bends his left elbow, thrusting his palm outwards as though to make it a shield, while his right arm, he forms into a right angle, with a closed fist on the ready to attack.

Even as he prepares his body like this, as he prepares his body into a fighting stance, he feels his infinite power surging like a wild current through every part of him, and filling his head with the assurance that he is _indeed_ supreme and complete.

'He-he-he-he,' Zamaku lets out of his mouth in perfectly measured breaths again.

This time, his laugh is solely to rejoice in the immense power that is bubbling within him, just waiting for the chance to showcase itself. However, this second laugh, apparently does something to rouse a single person from the group of spectators, before he can start flexing his muscles and throwing a few kicks and punches in the air to warm his complete body up.

'Hey, Kakarrot!' Vegeta's slightly shaking voice calls in gruff demand. 'What do you think you're doing up there?!'

Piqued from being interrupted, Zamaku abruptly cuts his eyes to the man who calls himself the prince of all Saiyans.

First of all, he lets out a hot and heavy breath through his nose, he _hates_ interruptions. And secondly, contrastingly feeling amused instead of irritated, he thinks;

Saiyan pride!

Saiyan pride is an interesting thing, Zamaku thinks as he slowly begins to descend to where Vegeta is. He's deliberately descending at a slow pace, to give mass effect to his presence, also to afford the Saiyan on the ground the chance to prepare himself as much as he can delude himself to believe, before they come face to face.

Saiyan pride!

Saiyan pride doesn't allow for Vegeta's bottomless fear to keep him quiet for long enough to display that same fear. In fact, Zamaku corrects himself, it's that _very_ fear that Vegeta feels, that manifested itself as pride in the form of an irritated question. Again, just like that little voice that he felt like came from his heart -which seems like a separate entity from his mind- he feels like this Saiyan information is coming from there as well.

 _No matter_ , Zamaku tells himself, _the more he knows about Saiyans, the better it is for him._ Again, disregarding that part of himself, he reaches Vegeta, choosing to hover just a fraction above ground level in order to maintain his supremacy. Although his height is already some distance above Vegeta's, he still needs to hover off ground level to set himself apart as he truly is.

First twisting his smirk into a disgusted frown, Zamaku lunges to punch Vegeta in the face, but his closed hand misses. Actually, when he briefly recalls the horrified look on Vegeta's face as he reached out his fist to hit him, he realises that his fist _didn't_ miss, but rather, it deliberately passed Vegeta's face.

Zamaku, momentarily stunned at his body's disobedience, before recovering and masking his stunned disbelief to a neutral expression, recalls the frightened look that had been on Vegeta's face as he lifted his fist to punch him. Even going by the look on the Saiyan prince's face now, Zamaku can easily deduce that he thinks the deliberate disobedience of his body, was originally planned as a deliberate move to strike fear in him, without actually touching him.

Zamaku can breathe easy, realising that his body's contradiction didn't cost him after all, and therefore, he shows Vegeta a big smile, not of mirth, as though to agree with the Saiyan that _yes_ , the missed punch was a perfectly calculated and delivered move.

' _Zamaku,_ ' he calmly tells Vegeta, instantly getting rid of the smile to replace it with an expressionless face. 'Not Kakarrot.'

He follows his words with a hard strike to Vegeta's forehead with his own head, knowing very well that it would do perfect enough damage, to engrave into Vegeta's mind to _never_ think of calling him Kakarrot again.

His name is Zamaku, and anything less, he will not tolerate. With all the power that he has, and has yet to achieve, he wants every single person on the Earth to know his name, and think of it with trembling fear. His name, the name Zamaku, will be the most eminent name in all the universes, the name of a legend, a supremely complete legend that no one else will be able to measure up to. He has every intention of becoming the only legend in all the universes.

As Vegeta flies back, suppressing his vocal display of pain, Zamaku levitates on past him, heading for the two gods, already bored with Vegeta. He's well aware of Zamasu following him with his eyes from up high where he is, but he couldn't be bothered in the least to pay Zamasu attention. What happens or doesn't happen with Zamasu, doesn't arouse interest in him, because Zamasu is not worth his time. Zamasu's immortality means nothing, when he, as a god can't possibly begin to understand the level of supremacy that Zamaku has reached, and will continuously follow to do. Zamasu is not his concern, that is, unless Zamasu does something as stupid as try to attack him.

Huh, his body feels a small tingling sensation, which his mind doesn't easily register and categorise, it feels like his body would almost like for Zamasu to do something stupid like try to attack him… Huh…

But never mind that, his mind dismisses for what feels like the hundredth time, he has more important matters to deal with first. As he is planning on executing his legend status, he is well aware that he cannot make a name for himself in _this_ time. He will need a place wholly inhabited by all types of people that can render him what he wants, and for him to reach that place, he needs either one of the two gods to get him there.

When Zamaku reaches the two gods, he first looks at the bigger and older of the two, and then sets his eyes on the smaller purple one, who swallows down a large gulp of something down his throat. A few beads of sweat decorate his forehead, and Zamaku, almost finds himself feeling pity for the little purple god, but not quite, because his pride doesn't allow him to feel anything other than worshipped by the little god. Their fear, the gods for of him, to him, is equivalent to worship, and that is exactly what he _needs_ from them.

'Hmm,' he smirks challengingly at the small god, who is all but shaking for keeping eye contact, 'Supreme Kai, huh?'

He's mocking the little god, because yes, what sort of god can be called supreme when they can't even keep from shaking in their boots for keeping mere eye contact?

Pathetic god! He mentally snarls, however, that little independent part that seems separate from his mind, somehow manages to keep him looking at the purple god and feel… Feel pity? Or is it understanding? Zamaku can't be sure what that rebellious part of him is feeling or trying to dictate him to feel, all he knows, is that fortunately for him, the little god will not get the chance to see his power today.

Just as he's about to turn to the older god, the most frustrating and uncalled for thing happens, and it happens ungraciously too, almost as though to deliberately dethrone him from his supremacy in front of the gods. So loudly that probably even the dead people in the next city can hear, his stomach emits the longest cry for attention. It's so deep and loud, that he hears several 'Ohs!' exclaimed in shocked surprise around him while he impatiently casts his eyes to his treacherous stomach.

What is wrong with his body? It's as though it isn't connected to his mind at all. The way it acts independently at random times without his permission, is increasingly testing.

Really, he keeps his eyes on his stomach, his stomach is hungry? His stomach is really hungry? It's hungry _now_ , right in the middle of this?

He hates interruptions!

'You!' he barks at the small purple god, unleashing his frustration for his stomach on him. 'Take me to feed this,' he points at his stomach, on the verge of piercing his stomach with his own hand.

The so-called Supreme Kai, only stares back at him with blinking eyes, as though he's trying to make a connection between the past minute and now, but can't seem to find a place to start.

'Now!' he hisses angrily

* * *

Chapter 3, **Contact.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, **Contact.**

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It doesn't entirely register in Zamaku's mind how, even after being witness to the tremendous amount of power that's resonating in the air, Supreme Kai still hesitates to immediately do as he is told. The hesitation may be a slight manifestation of confused fear from the puny purple deity, and he almost wants to strike the deity for it, but there's something inside of him that is…

Hmm, Zamaku begins to ponder while he stares at the god in waiting, how does he say it? He would dare question that some minimal part inside of him of seemingly _fond_ of the little god? That is more impossible than it is unlikely, he answers himself in refusal, he couldn't begin to be fond of anyone that is not worth his strength, god or no god.

'I said _now_ ,' he repeats in a hiss, more to rid his mind of the pathetic thoughts of fondness, than actually remind the god of what he has to do, because by the looks of it, no repetition is needed.

In response to that, Supreme Kai hurriedly goes rigid and then clears his throat before looking to his left, to presumably the three people standing in a group there. Zamaku can see them from the corner of his eyes, but he still humours the little god and fully faces the group on the left.

'Bulma,' Supreme Kai starts shakily, his voice giving even more of his cowardice away, 'you can feed Gok- I'm sorry, I mean, Zamaku here, right?'

Zamaku wouldn't outright call the expression that befalls on Bulma's face, fear, no, rather, he would deem it terror, especially by the expression that makes her skin paler to the point where her blue eyes and hair stand out as incandescently bright.

' _Why me_?!' she exclaims at the god, that even the white of her teeth blind in comparison to the pale contrast of her facial tone. 'He has a wife you know!'

While he does appreciate the fear that he deserves being afforded to him like that –because no one has done as excellent a job as Bulma so far- he must admit that he finds the tone of her voice rather annoying, and well… unfit to pass through his ears. For a being as supreme as him, he would much rather prefer hushed tones and shaky voices that spell emotions out for him. Shrill shouts, are simply not fitting for his ears.

To get this point across to her, he searches to catch her eye, and once, a second later, he does, he unfortunately doesn't get to execute his silent threat, because at first contact, when Bulma's eyes meet his, she hastily tries to rearrange her features by placing a nervous smile on her face. It doesn't do much, though, he takes notes.

'What I mean is that,' she nervously starts, unsuccessfully trying to sound like delicate honey in its purest, 'I'm not near as great a cook as Chi-Chi is. Everyone knows that,' she ends on fakely high-pitched laugh.

 _Chi-Chi_ , his heart beats.

What's this? He questions himself with a small frown building on his face. What is the meaning of his heart beating for a name? Of course, yes, he knows who Chi-Chi is, but honestly, _what's this_? He'd been on the verge of appreciating how Bulma is properly showing him the reverence that he deserves, only to be disturbed by his heart thumping tremendously for one mere name?

His body and its organs must not be fully functional yet, he tries to reason with himself, his body must be overwhelmed by the amount of power flowing through it, and for that reason, it acts out at haphazard times. Firstly, his body wouldn't obey him to punch Vegeta, and then it let out a shaming sound of hunger in front of Supreme Kai, and now, it beat uncharacteristically at the sound of a mere woman's name, and a weak one at that!

Well, Zamaku thinks, keeping his frown in check, he is slightly upset with his body for being slow on the uptake, and while he'd like to let out how upset he feels, it wouldn't do to let it out on his own body. He'll have to use another outlet for his accumulating anger, and there's no better outlet, than the individuals hanging on to his every word and move, for fear of their lives.

'Just get me food _now_ ' he barks at the top of his lungs, feeling his due release leaving him as it should.

Following his harsh command, he distinctly feels everyone suck in their breaths, probably preparing for the worst from him. If he wasn't too busy fending off the last of his upset release, he would've reveled in their reactions.

'R-r-r-right away,' the small Kai stammers, barely managing to keep from jumping back. 'It's only that...'

'Speak,' Zamaku orders dangerously.

'I'll have to, uh,' Supreme Kai clears his throat right before he continues with, 'touch you to uh, take you to food.'

The pathetic deity, Zamaku studies his sweating face, he certainly looks as though he is hoping for him to say no, he would not degrade himself with allowing a weak one to touch him. How... endearing his terror is...

With his limitless power, he doesn't like the idea of allowing a weak god to touch him, but perhaps, that may be the perfect opportunity to instill the sufficient amount of respect into the deity, so that he will learn never to tarry in obeying a direct command again.

'Not for a second longer than you have to,' he warns, equally accepting that what has to be done, has to be done.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

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'We're here,' the deity announces in his unchanging nervous tone.

At least, Zamaku takes a little time to think, for a weak god, the Supreme Kai has the speed ability right down to the end, because not even a second has passed, and they instantly appear in a flourishing world.

Beautiful.

That's the first thing that strikes him about this new world. Well, yes, he's seen it before, but never as Zamaku. He likes to see this world with colour and everything intact, unlike the destroyed city from where they came. This world, is simply beautiful to behold, dances around in his mind as his eyes wander from side to side.

With his eyes wandering, he catches sight of Lord Beerus, the Destruction god, and to his right, his ever-hard-to-read servant, Whis. He could almost smile at the presence of the two, because their strength and presence, makes this world even more beautiful to him, but with the way his body seems to be ill-disciplined to work in unison with his mind, he will not dare start the duelling challenge that he rightfully should. Although he'd give his thumb to test his new power against the Destruction god, he is in no position to yet. For now, he'll just have to take care of one minimal setback, and so he ignores everything else, to go straight to the woman he wants.

Only, on the way to her, he's suddenly attacked by something at his legs. He hears the word, 'Daddy,' before he gains enough sense to look down at his legs and register that the attack on his legs, is actually a hug.

He is being _hugged_ , feeling more dismayed than disgusted, his legs are being _hugged_.

'Off!' he barks with disdain at the little thing standing between his legs, even though his feet are refusing to move.

After getting over a little of the initial dismay, his mind begins to get upset, because not only are his feet refusing to move, his legs are doing nothing at all to easily shake the little thing off him. Upsetting him more, the little thing looks up at him wearing a confused expression on his face.

'Off, I said,' he repeats to answer the confused thing.

Those blankly innocent eyes with a twinkle in them, Zamaku observes, that delinquent hair, standing up in every direction that it pleases, and that quiet, quite undetectable soft resemblance to… Chi-Chi?

Thump!

And there his heart goes again, doing that senseless thing of beating for no apparent reason, because really, what could be there to beat about? A child, resembling his mother to a fine point where only he could notice it? No, his body is starting to more than just frustrate him at this point. He needs a moment alone with it.

His frustration, is _really_ more that he can't use his foot to kick the little thing off him, because if he's being honest, there's some endearing feature in the little thing's expression, that makes it hard to be angry with him.

'Did you not hear me?' Zamaku demands of the little thing, and still his legs and feet refuse to do anything to free himself from the boy's clutch.

'But, Dad!' the little thing turns his confused expression into a wounded one, but he lets go.

The ironic thing is, however, when the little thing lets him go, he instantly –without warning- comes to terms with the fact that he actually _liked_ the contact.

No, that's not true, he _didn't_ like the contact. In fact, he _doesn't_ like contact. He finds even the mere thought of an inferior person touching a supreme being such as himself, repulsively disrespectful and ill-disciplined, so no, he doesn't like contact. _But_ , his body… his body _that_ just seems to be uncooperative, liked the contact from the little thing that hugged his legs, and that angers him completely.

Again, to release that anger with his body, he properly grabs hold of the excuse of being called 'Dad' by the little thing, when he didn't even flinch the first time he was happily called 'Daddy.'

'Never call me that again,' he booms, even that the ground beneath his feet tempts to vibrate.

Suddenly, right after the words leave his mouth, the very woman that he'd been seeking to meet for a purpose to do with his stomach, comes before him, standing face to face with him. Oddly, he feels his heart do something like melt with relief at seeing her, but when his eyes perfectly meet hers, and he sees flames of rage in her eyes, he finds his feet moving him back from her, almost as though his feet know to give her space to be enraged.

He, Zamaku –and his feet- making way for a weak woman, simply because she has a blaze of an inferno shining in her eyes, which seems to be directed at him? Unheard of! In his right mind, he'd never do something as degrading as step back!

'You're not my Goku,' she says in a way that shows that she's just barely containing her anger.

Eyeing her carefully –having already assessed her- his mind thinks that for a strength less being in comparison to him, she sure is _fast_ in thinking. He wonders with a slow smirk... What gave him away? Was it his shining luminance? Was it his supreme aura? His limitlessness? Or was it perhaps his unwavering confidence in his strength? Whichever it was, the time is in any case ripe for him to make a formal introduction.

'I am Zamaku,' he proudly announces in his smooth tone.

He doesn't need to shout it, because he is not a barbarian, neither does he need to whisper it, because he is not ashamed of who and what he is. His introduction of himself, came out just as patiently perfect and proud as it should've, no less.

'Zamaku?' the woman in front of him narrows her eyes at him.

However, without giving him measured time to respond, she moves her head to look around him to either something, or someone there. He would have to guess that she has her eyes on Supreme Kai.

' _Zamaku_?' she asks, surprise sounding out louder in her voice this time.

'He's a fusion between Zamasu and Goku,' Supreme Kai nervously answers her.

There, Zamaku thinks to himself, now that she knows who he is, it's only a second until the shock she feels for the news, wears off, and when that happens, he'll delightfully watch as her face goes even paler than it already is, and her feet carry her in a jump away from him. It's only that second of shock that needs to pass, and then, she'll shower him with the fear that rightfully belongs to his being.

That's what he'd originally thought would happen, except, when the shock of the news wears off for the woman before him, she straightens herself up to full height to evenly set her eyes on him. He'd been wrong, he realises, because no, she isn't anything close to being afraid of him. What she is, is one of those small red explosives, that are quite puny and non-threatening at first glance, but highly explosive when triggered to explode. He can see it on her face, and for some reason, his body is tingling slightly with the knowledge, that she's an alight dynamite getting nearer and nearer to blowing up.

' _Son Goku_!' finally comes out of her mouth in a high-pitched scream.

He doesn't know why, he only comes to realise that his feet have moved back from her of their own accord once again. Only, this time, he isn't allowed the appropriate time to think how treacherous his feet are being, because soon after she's inhaled a sufficient breath, she picks up with her shrill screaming again.

' _Whatever came over you, to fuse with the lunatic who killed out little Goten?! I swear, I have half a mind to hit you, but I've never hit you in my life, so I won't start now. What were you thinking?!_ ' she ends with repeatedly poking a finger on his chest.

How dare she!

'I am not Son Goku!' he retorts in an uncharacteristic half scream.

How dare she behave that way with him and make him feel something akin to guilt?! Has she any idea who he is, and what he is really capable of doing if he simply wanted to get his point across?!

'I am Zamaku! Refer to me as such. I am a supreme being, superior to all, and you will _not_ -'

Sharply, he cuts off to draw in just as sharp a breath, for the reason that her hand stealthily managed to gently land on his stomach while he outraged his frustration.

'Goku,' she tells him straightforwardly.

It's not a question, just like it isn't some sort of test to provoke him. That name that she called him, is a simple statement that she's making known to him, and because of that, it dawns on him that this woman is _really_ not in the least bit afraid of him.

The way in which she's looking at him daringly, and the way her touch evidently seems to have power over his body... And not just her touch... It's her name, and her emotions... She's clearly not afraid of him, but still, he _is_ Zamaku. He hasn't allowed anyone to get away with calling him Goku, and he will keep it that way. If she means to threaten him by declaring him Goku to his face, then she ought to know, to be shown, that he is too superior to be threatened.

'Zamaku,' he sternly corrects her, making sure to add malice in his words.

She's insolent and disobedient. Clearly, she has no idea of his power, otherwise she would be shaking like the rest of her weakling counterparts are doing for the mere fact of his presence. She needs to be taught a lesson.

'You're right,' she evenly says, slightly taking him aback, 'you don't have light shining in your eyes. You don't have a smile on your face, and your words are measured, patiently waiting for each other, unlike my Goku's…'

So, he begins to think, she is starting to get it after all. Perhaps he won't have to teach her a lesson, just yet...

He would've thought that after recognising that fact, she would release her hand from his stomach, on the contrary, she instead presses her hand harder over his clothed stomach, and then leans forwards to bring her lips close to his ear. She has to lift herself up on her toes, but she gets it right to have her lips parallel to his ear.

' _But_ ,' reaches his ear as a cross between an alluring hiss and delicately challenging groan, 'let me tell you, that I've known _this_ body since I was eighteen. I know every muscle on _this_ body. I know of its every recklessly small scar. I know _how_ to look after it. I know _where_ to touch to get a response from it. I know _how_ to touch it, to weaken it. I know _how_ to have this body chase after me. And...' she pulls in a breath, simultaneously moving her lips away from his ear, to once again be looking at his face. 'I know how to _properly feed_ this body's stomach,' she finishes with a teasing pat on his stomach.

As though on cue, his stomach lets out a loud growl, thoroughly embarrassing him, and that's when she shows him a sweet smile as she lifts her hand from his stomach.

Stupid stomach, he breathes in, it made it appear as though he succumbed to her. It made it seem like she has better knowledge and power of his own body, which is absolutely ridiculously stupid!

'So remember that for as long as you are in that body,' she innocently tells him through her smile, 'I _will_ call you Goku.'

She has a sweet smile on her face, but... Carefully, he studies her face, trying to place her essence to the lacklustre appearance that she wears and gives off. He never would've guessed this of her. That other one, Bulma, yes, but this one…

'Come, Goten, we're going home,' she looks around him again. 'Someone has to eat.'

'Okay,' cheerily comes from behind them.

It must be that little thing that hugged his leg earlier. Why does the little thing have to come along too? It's curious of her, Zamaku thinks, and for that, he glares at her.

'Well?' she asks with a raised eyebrow at when she turns back to him.

In response, he gives her a blank look. What does she want from him now?

'I do not fly,' she tells him.

Why is she making that sound like a choice that she carefully crafted? And more importantly, what do her choices have to do with him?

If she thinks that she can challenge him, then she has another thing coming. He will not ever be subject to her. He's not that fallen that he needs to stoop to taking orders from someone that isn't worthy of even a fraction of his fighting time. If he wanted, he could let out a deep breath –not that deep, to be honest- to blow her away from him.

'That has nothing to do with me,' he gruffly tells her.

To deliberately spite her, he would've taken off flying, but then, she instantly gives him a cold look, and he feels himself freeze on the spot. He's not afraid, though, he's only…

'I see,' is all she says, and then walks away from him.

Hmpf, he triumphantly thinks to himself, and she thought she could make him cower under the weightless talk, that was supposed to sound like a threat. He'll show her. Because his stomach wants to eat, he _will_ follow her, but she shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that she can equal herself to him, a supreme being.

However, he thinks as he turns around, he didn't like the way she said that. 'I see,' she said, as though she meant something very specific by that. No matter, though, he tells himself with his eyes set on the little thing lift her off her feet and then take off with her.

For the sake of getting himself in top shape to start becoming the legend that he is meant to be, he takes off after them.

* * *

Chapter 4, **Dare You To Move.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4, **Dare You To Move.**

* * *

Held by her son, high up in the air, leaving buildings and trees behind her as soon as they reach them, Chi-Chi only has one subject of thought running in her mind. It's just as well that Goten is the one with the task of flying and getting them home safely (that requires concentration), because she doesn't know how _she_ would make it home safely if she had to do the flying herself. Not when her concentration is on a single subject; Goku. Her Goku.

From top to bottom, from head to toe, and from side to side, she _knows_ her Goku. She thoroughly knows her husband, and what she knows, is that he's a man that _thinks_ , especially about himself and his family. That being the case, she's certain to the core, that he wouldn't _just_ have fused with Black for any which reason. The Goku that confessed how he'd _never_ forgive Black for killing Goten and her, would never do something as fusing with the man responsible for the death of his family, lightly.

Of course, in the chaos of it all, she and Goku didn't get private time to really discuss this Black or Zamasu issue, but she knows her husband, and so, doesn't necessarily need time alone with him, to conclude what he would and wouldn't do.

As his wife, whatever else she doesn't know, or hasn't been made aware of, all she knows, is that Goku wouldn't have fused with Black for the sheer thrill of it. One of the first reasons that come to her mind, is how particular her husband is. To him, having strength that is not _his alone_ , is the same as surrendering at the beginning of a battle. The way that she knows her husband, she's sure, that there must be more to the story than she knows so far. And until she finds out the truth, she has to take care of him, in the way that she best knows how to. Or at least, for the immediate now, take care of that Saiyan trench of a stomach of his. And fast too.

'Goten, please fly faster,' she tells her son.

'Okay,' her son answers, just then picking up his speed towards their home.

As they fly the long route to their home, on the very far side of the country, very secluded from immediate civilization, Chi-Chi takes her thoughts back to her husband and this new development that she was just shocked with a few minutes back.

It can't be right that Goku actively chose to fuse with that _bad_ god. It simply can't be right. For anyone that knows Goku the way that she knows him, they'd be quick to think that Goku has always been a perfectionist when it had anything to do with his body. To Goku, his body is a sacred temple of sorts.

As much as he loves to train, if he thought that he'd done enough of it, even in two minutes as opposed to days on end, he wouldn't push his body further than that. He did that, because _that_ would be the very same body that he would have to rely on, when the real battles began. Also, that same body would be the one, that he would have to deliver to _her_ , when at the end of the day, all was said and done. But that, no one else but her would know, since it's private.

There are also two interconnected things that would repulse Goku away from willingly fusing. First of all, this Black character, being the first ever after Frieza that Goku has sworn to make pay, the only other villain that has angered him that deeply, there isn't a chance of forgiveness. And secondly, this Black did the unthinkable and stole Goku's body. That last reason is probably the most-

'Mom?' Goten's unsure voice cuts her thoughts off.

Immediately, she gives him her auditory attention, because the tone of his voice, makes her realise and regret in equal portions, that she didn't once think of what Goten might feel about all of this. He may just be a child, but he is a clever child at that, and he has much more interest in Goku than most people do.

'Yes?'

'Is something wrong with Dad?' he asks like the confused little one that he is at the moment.

Because she can't give him a straight honest answer that will worry him, she chooses to turn the tables, and ask him if he thinks that there's something wrong with Goku. It gives her a chance to reframe things for her son.

'Do _you_ think there's something wrong with your father?'

'I don't know,' Goten answers, a little too timidly for the personality that he usually displays. 'He didn't want me to hug him. Is he angry with me?'

By all the _good_ gods, her little Goten naturally thinks that Goku's unusually cold behaviour some time back, has everything to do with something that he might've done wrong. The mind of a child is too much of a blessing, she muses, feeling greatly relieved that she doesn't have to have an unpleasant and worrisome conversation with her youngest son about his father in the air.

'No,' she answers in an assuring tone, silently wishing that she could look at him in the eyes to deliver this truth. 'He's not angry with you. He's angry with that bad Black man.'

'Is that true?' he asks for certainty.

'I promise you, Goten, your father is not angry with you.'

'Really?' Goten continues to insist.

She understands him and his need for assurance, since Goku has never shunned contact from Goten before, not even when he was hurt. Unlike Trunks, who knows not to attack his father with hugs and softly happy greetings, Goten has all the freedom in the world to do all of that with Goku. Which is why now, having been rejected by the man he considers the world's best father, he needs more than just words from _her_ , that Goku isn't angry with him.

'Yes, really,' she maintains. 'Now, stop all this talking and get us home safely. It's not safe to talk and fly.'

Even she doesn't believe in her own words about talking and flying, but being the mother in this relationship, she has the privilege of making the falsest of things sound believable to her little son. More so now, that he's not exactly at his normal peak of himself, thanks to this Goku issue. Thankfully, though, Goten doesn't argue with her, rather, he increases his speed to get them home just as she said.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

She would've thought that it would take a short while for Goku to catch up with them, that she'd have at least a few minutes to prepare her pots before he arrived. That's what she'd been expecting, but no sooner than she and Goten touch the ground with their feet, just two steps away from their front door, does a grunt sound behind them.

Whether he is aiming to announce his presence, she can't say with certainty. What she can attest with clarity for, (because she has a feeling in her heart) is that whatever he thinks that he's doing, he shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that he'll get away with it. He, Goku at least, already knows the house rules, so he shouldn't even try…

As Goten is innocently unaware of what is in the air, he's the first of the two of them to look behind them, and only then does she follow his lead to look at her husband. Well, the modified version of her husband.

'Dad,' Goten quietly gets out of his mouth, moving closer to her, as if to protect himself from Goku, should Goku say something harsh to him.

Since she is watching his face clearly, taking vivid notes of how too different this 'Zamaku' character is from her sweet Goku, she sees how he doesn't even acknowledge Goten's spoken word. Much less Goten himself. If she didn't know better than she knows, she would've scolded him for that. Fusion or not, that's not way to treat his son! For now, as she's unable to scold him, she briefly scowls at him, to which he glowers back.

'Goten, sweety,' she starts, but her eyes remain fixed on Goku, 'do you want to sleepover at Trunks' tonight?'

'Hmm,' he quietly hums.

'Okay,' she faces him, 'you can sleepover tonight, but only if you promise to do what Bulma says. I don't want to hear her complaining about you, all right?'

She would rather not have Goten sleepover, not when he's been with Trunks all day, but more than that, she doesn't want Goten around for when she starts interrogating Goku. Until she gets to the bottom of this, she doesn't want Goten getting the wrong idea.

'I'll be good,' he sweetly promises, melting her heart at just how easily he seems to have gotten back to his usual self.

'And finish all of your food,' she reminds him. 'Don't forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed either.'

'I won't, Mom.'

Sadly sighing, because it's still a struggle to spend a night away from her son at his age, she says, 'Then you can go.'

As though suddenly shot out of a canon, Goten takes off right into the sky at the go ahead given. The poor boy, she follows him with her eyes, he must really feel that his father is not happy with him, to fly away just like that. He wouldn't have taken off just like that otherwise.

'That was rude,' she sternly tells Goku, turning her back to open the door for them. 'You shouldn't have ignored him like that. You hurt him.'

With her back turned, she starts to dig inside her pocket for the house keys, when suddenly her front makes rough contact with the door before it's even open. She's about to wonder what in the world happened, what she did that caused her feet to miscalculate and lead her smack into the door, when she registers the pressing of a firm hand on her lower back.

'Just open the door,' he growls threateningly.

The growl that comes out of his mouth, is quite unfamiliar to her, that she would've started to worry if the same hand that suddenly pushed her into the door, isn't now releasing its pressure, to a more gentle touch. Actually, delicate is the word that she would use, because when Goku touches her, he always does it delicately. Ever since the incident from the time when he came from space, he made extra sure, to tone himself down when he made contact with her.

For a second, she's nearly confused as to how the hand that roughly pushed her, and the hand now resting on her back _this_ gently, is one and the same. Only for a second, because her mind quickly puts together several conversations about fusions that she had with Goku after the Buu incident, and that _near confusion_ of hers, disappears.

'If you're going to be rude to me,' she warns, standing her ground, 'I'm not going to feed you.'

Instantly, the hand on her back leaves her, and she nearly smiles. Nearly. Had this been the raw, unfused Goku, he would've jumped back and started apologising to her already, but with this Zamasu or Black person inside of him, together with him, the reactions are only slightly the same.

'Good,' she says evenly and then moves to open the door.

After she carefully steps inside the house, she holds the door open for him to enter. At first, Goku only looks at her with a hard expression as if he's trying to measure her up and disobey her at the same time, but when she tactfully narrows her eyes at him, he reluctantly takes steps into the house.

'Straight for the shower, and don't even think about arguing with me. I swear…' she wags an irritated finger at him.

He looks ready to strangle her with his stare, she observes, but does she _care_? Right now, she hotly thinks, she doesn't care, because this defiant aura that he's wearing, is starting to dance under her skin! He will either do what she says or he _won't_ eat. It's that simple.

'Goku…' she says through clenched teeth.

Just one move, she just needs one move from him and he will have to go out and fend for himself in the forest, because she sure isn't going to allow him into her kitchen.

'You're weak,' he answers her, sounding as irritated as she feels. 'I could crush you with my finger.'

'Do it,' she dares him.

The thing isn't that he's bluffing, or that she doesn't believe that he has the intent in his eyes, it's more that his body, remains Goku's body. Two very different hearts and souls may be merged into one body, but ultimately, that body belongs to one heart, and it's been trained professionally to know when to hold back, and when to go all out when the circumstances call for it. In short, the intent to show her his power is there, but the body simply won't obey his immediate intents. If that were the case, he wouldn't be here, following her, because his stomach calls for food.

Surprisingly, he does nothing to retort to her dare, but rather takes measured steps past her towards the bathroom. He must've realised that his staring would do nothing to break her, because he doesn't do that either.

Watching him leave, Chi-Chi closes her eyes to breathe out a long sigh. Who knew that Goku could work her up _this_ much, to _this_ point of feeling relief that he's not in her presence? For one thing, there's an air about him that clearly spells his will to not be under her thumb, and that's not typical of her usual Goku. And for another, he wants to carry himself smugly, as if he owns the world, which isn't like her humble Goku at all.

She takes pride in the fact that her family is strong and yet so humble, but never go around displaying that. This, what this Zamaku is attempting to disassemble, is something that is rubbing her off the wrong way. At least, as a temporary relief, with him in the shower, she will not have him surly looking over her while she cooks.

She opens her eyes to see if he's disappeared completely, and just then, he slightly turns his head back to her. He doesn't halt in his steps, but the smirk that spreads on his face when he looks back at her, and the glint that shines in his grey eyes, make Chi-Chi feel like something just popped inside of her. She turns away from his stare so fast, as if she's offended, that she scolds herself for doing that, once she's sober.

 _Why did she turn away from him like that_?

It's not like she's afraid of him, so why did she hide herself from his provoking smirk? All of a sudden, she starts to wonder, how long will this fuse last? Will it be like the temporary fusion that Goten did with Trunks, or will be the permanent one, that Goku was barely lucky to escape from with Vegeta, because of Buu's magic?

If he's going to have this effect on her from now on, she can't help it wonder, how are they even _connected_ to be able to fuse? From what Goku told her previously, there has to be an equilibrium between the two of them, that's obviously sustaining their fusion. So what is that? Obviously, Goku can't stand Zamasu, and from what she's learned, Zamasu hates humans in general, Goku _especially_ , so there must be some kind of thing holding them together.

But what in the world is that thing?

* * *

Chapter 5, **Even Better.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, **Even Better.**

* * *

That _woman_ is completely out of her mind, if she thinks that he'll listen to her.

Again, that is.

With the way it had been before they got here, he didn't have any choice in the matter of listening to her, because his stomach apparently wanted food, and she had that power to make food. He still wants the food, and she still has that power to make him food, but from that moment that he gets food into his stomach, she must not make the mistake of giving him orders again.

She must not realise just who he is, that must be the case with her here. In all of his glorious power, he could leave her in glorious ruins, just to prove his own glory. And yet, she has the decency to tell him what to do, and challenge him to crush her with his finger? Just who in this world does she think she is? More especially, to give him, _Zamaku_ orders.

'I hate her,' he spitefully says to his reflection in the bathroom.

Just the thought of her, not being on her toes, and not quivering in fear like the rest of her acquaintances, Supreme Kai included, makes him particularly distasteful towards her. And more, she does the ridiculous thing of challenging him at every turn, thus, he has a particular dislike for her.

'I will not tolerate her any longer,' he says to his reflection again.

All this time that he's been in the bathroom, staring hard into the mirror, and concentrating his thoughts on this Chi-Chi weakling, who has been able to do things to his body, that his strong and dominant mind couldn't prevent, he's been particularly bothered with her lack respect for him.

As he was coming to the bathroom, he tried to get her into her proper place, by making his eyes blaze with his absolute power, topping it with a smirk to threaten her, and yet, as much as she turned away from him, he doesn't believe that he achieved his goal. But of all the people, she's the one who had to be this disobedient and hard to follow just how powerful he is? Someone as insignificant as she is?

Well, Zamaku draws his eyebrows together, no more!

If it's the only thing that he has to do to put her in her place, he'll show her! He'll put her in her place, and then she will be like the rest of them; frightened to death by his mere existence.

 _There's a reason that she doesn't fear you_ , all of a sudden floats around in his head, making his scowl deepen.

There's that soft taunting of words again, surfacing out of turn, and reducing him to a less-than mental stature. It's sufficient already, that this weakling woman has toned him down quite a sizeable amount, only to endure this taunting from within himself as well?

Unacceptable!

He simply will not allow himself to _seem_ divided among himself!

He's Zamaku, the most supreme being that will ever walk the Earth, and grace it with his undeserved-by-it splendour. How can he stand as supreme, if there's a little voice of opposition inside him, that's probably the reason that his body fails to do as it's supposed to in the first place?

It's highly unacceptable!

Furious to a degree with himself, for having a slight separation within himself, when he should be perfectly whole and supreme, he brings his hands to stand flat against each other under his chin, in a prayer stance. It's an attempt to get his mind to a calm, meditative state, so that whatever part of his brain finds it fitting to rebel against the bigger part of his mind, can come to a resolution.

As he begins to close his eyes to aid his mind in calm meditation, however, he spies in the mirror, how his reflection's hair, begins to glow a dull grey colour. The hair itself, he notices, doesn't change colour, it's only the air surrounding his hair that changes colour. Too fast than it fitting for someone of his stature, he snaps his eyes wide open, to meet this change head on. Silently, he scolds himself for reacting like that, because as a supreme being, acting hastily, spells out an abomination that shouldn't happen to him; fright.

'Unacceptable,' he mutters through gritted teeth to his reflection.

Fright, fear or being caught unawares, are things that he cannot put up with, much less entertain to be part of his being. He realises that instead of calming his mind, his body apparently acted without his permission, and began to call upon all of its power to the surface, but that shouldn't have caught him off guard, that he had to show weakness like that.

Feeling slight fury (more than a degree) with himself, he again makes to act in a way to tame himself into complete synchronisation. He quickly tears his hands apart, and then uses those same hands, to violently rip his clothes from himself. Two very tight and forceful tugs from either hand, are all it takes to make all of his clothes come off of his body.

This body of his, he tells himself, he has to examine, and see where it is not attached together properly. Wherever is body is not properly together, that place, he will identify as the place where the miscommunication happens, that prevents his body from fully obeying the will of his mind.

With his clothes off, leaving him only in his shoes, Zamaku pries his eyes away from his reflection in the mirror, to run them over his body. His eyes slowly travel from his boots, up his feet, past his dark blue underwear, and then up to his stomach. He encounters a little difficulty with studying his chest, and so he spreads is arms out on either side of him, to make it possible to see his chest better.

His outstretched arms don't make his view better, although, he does get a good look at the defined muscles on his arms, and that puts a cocky smile on his face. Before, he wouldn't have said that his body had been like this, to this extreme. Because of that, he takes his eyes back to the mirror, to look at his reflect, if only to see his cocky smile reflected back at him.

'Zamaku...' he carefully gets out of his mouth with admiration.

When he takes his glowing aura, and the definition on his body, and his limitless abilities to improve on his limitless abilities, into careful consideration like he's doing now, there's every reason to savour his own name from his mouth. There can't be a single person in the world who has it like he has it. He's the single most amazing being in the world. To prove this to himself, he suddenly lets out an unwarrantedly loud growl, from the bottom of his lungs.

'Aaaaaaaahhhhh!'

He does it, more so to push out tremendous power from him, and make the ground beneath him shake in fear of him, than he does it for anything else. He wants to affirm himself with the violent vibrating of the ground beneath his feet, and the rigorous reverberation of his growl that speaks dimensions of his singularity. He wants to feel the Earth stop for him, as though it was falling apart, just so as to make him feel satisfyingly affirmed.

When the first palpitations rise beneath his feet, signalling just what he intended for them to do, the cocky smile on his face, grows to a larger grin, that spells out all of the superiority within him. Aside from his grin, deep inside him, as the after-effects of his growl do their work around him, he feels like an invincibly invisible being, flying at the speed of light, _as the speed of light_ , towards a greater light, that cannot diminish his light, even when he reaches it.

Because of that feeling, a primarily guttural laughing sound, leaves the back of his throat, transforming into an uncivilized cackle that escapes through his mouth. The laughter doesn't just stop when it comes out of his mouth, it also reaches up to his eyes, infected them to glow up tremendously

Ah! The self-importance, that he feels _so_ on top of right now!

This, this, this...

This is even better than he expected the reaction to his action to be. He didn't calculate the reaction, to bring _this_ much satisfaction to himself.

This, this, this is so much better than what he could've possibly imagined! He supposes that if he were to punch himself in the stomach-

'Uuuf!' he moans out, barely managing to keep from being effected by his own punch.

What in the world?

Baffled and beyond, he looks down at his stomach, to find that i _ndeed_ , his right fist, is still very much connected to his body. But then, he doesn't even get to take that in, and analyse it, to understand it, because he hears the bathroom door burst open, bringing in an unwelcome presence.

'Goku!' her scathing voice breaks through the air.

Just like that, with that one word, the whole atmosphere of reaction that he'd created just a moment ago, dies in the air. With no sign of apology, his atmospheric empire just crumbled and fell like it was never there to begin, which leaves him a little more than baffled. If he had to choose the right word to describe his feelings right now...

If he had to pick a word, his teeth begin to chatter...

If he had to pick a word, his heart starts to pound like crazy...

'Goku,' she gasps, 'what happened to you?'

Whether it was intentional on her part or not, he slowly finds himself pulling from his mind, pulling from the stuck place where he'd been, trying to accumulate his feelings into one, so that he could react appropriately. Reluctantly, he sharply cuts his eyes from his fist on his stomach, (involuntarily dropping his arm too) to look at the person who is now standing in front of him, with a worried look on her face.

This weakling woman! His mind seethes. He hates her. He really hates her.

He hates that he feels some type of way towards the worried look on her face.

He hates that he can't pick up where he left off, and just fall right back into his self-affirming act, because of her presence.

He hates that her eyes evidently spot the place where he punched himself, and how her fingers are reaching out to touch that place.

He hates how delicately she's feathering that spot, as though there is a contusion forming, and she wants to make it disappear.

But most of all, he hates how she looks back up at him, with a barrel of compassion in her eyes for him, which consequently tugs him to feel like a mere being. Like a mere mortal. Like a mere mortal confined to the rubbish weakness of inferiority.

He hates that!

He hates her. He really hates her.

No one, absolutely no one, has that right, to make him feel like he is as everybody else is. How dare she show him emotion? How dare she try to pull him down from his supreme place, by showing him concern and compassion?

Concern? For who?

Compassion? For him?

'What happened?' she repeats.

Oddly, he finds himself answering, 'I punched myself.'

No more than he can explain, how and why his arm punched his stomach in the first place, can he explain why, through all of his current feelings towards, he chose to answer her.

'I don't understand,' Chi-Chi shakes her head to emphasise her point. 'Why would you do this to yourself, Goku?'

He doesn't give her an answer right away, and it's in that brief, seemingly never-ending silence, that he regains himself. Thanks to that look in her eyes, that frightened look in her eyes, he's reminded of who he is, of who he was, before she came into the bathroom, and he started hating her.

Yes, he thinks, a mental gleeful smile visible in his mind, this is what he should hold onto.

'Because I'm Zamaku,' he forcefully answers, just as forcefully taking hold of her wrist.

He's a little surprised at how obedient his arm is at grabbing her, when it had punched him without permission before, but he loves the development too greatly, to let surprise dictate him.

'Now,' he orders, pointing at the floor between them, 'get on your knees!'

He's suddenly craving the euphoric pleasure of being bowed down to. Having remembered his supreme place in the world, he wants to have that taste of specific reverence that comes from being worshipped, as a being unlike any other. Especially from a weakling such as the woman before him.

* * *

Chapter 6, **Fervor.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, **Fervor.**

* * *

As he's come to know himself, so increasingly expertly by the passing second, he's come to realise that he is _not_ a being that can be affected by someone else's reactions. Rather, he knows himself to thrive on the reactions that other people give him, because it adds onto to his grandiose feelings of superiority. _However_ , and this vexes him to even admit, he swears on his sacred supremacy, that this woman before him that he considers to be nothing in comparison to him, has an odd ability in her possession, over him.

Would he go as far as to say that she affects him? Definitely not. Except…

Not too shortly after he commands her to worship him, as it is rightful for her to do, what with her being the lesser of the both of them, there appears a look on his face, that even _he_ can't deny makes his facial muscles twitch some. The look, is a defined and concrete statement in highlighted boldness, that clearly exclaims, 'How dare he!' and it's as perfectly shown as anything can be, but it proves completely nothing compared to the howl of a sound that comes from her mouth.

Again, he wouldn't go as far as to say that her succeeding, very vocal yet wordless exclamation affects him, no. Forced into a rush of jitters within his body, however, yes, that he can wholeheartedly claim as true.

She's not screeching. She not screaming. She's not shrieking. She's howling. Intensely howling, as though she were a brilliant fighter about to display her utmost power, and that, oh, _that_ does something incredible to his already jittering system. The knowledge of grasping her reaction in that different way, especially because he didn't expect it from her, pushes him into a thoroughly inflamed state of catatonic excitement.

He won't lie, his mind cannot understand why all of a sudden he finds the blaze of her eyes equal to bright stars beckoning to him, or why her 'ready to explode' expression looks like a fine attack to him, and why, most importantly, the reverberating sound of her powerful howl makes his body clench tightly, but he welcomes it nonetheless.

All of it.

He still won't admit that she's affecting him with her reaction, although, he can say that he feels like he's forgetting the world and its mechanisms as his supreme mind knows it to be.

Here, right now, with her, he's suddenly standing at the door of an unknown world that he didn't know existed. Forget that feeling that he felt when he became this supreme being. Forget that moment when he realised that every single person around him was afraid of him, even though their mouths didn't confess it. And yes, forget the feeling brought about by the knowledge that he has no equal, because _this_ , right here, with her, is more thrilling.

This adrenaline resonating against the hardness of his bones. This firm clenching of his stomach muscles. This seizing tingling of his skin. This itching of his palms to close over her mouth, just so that he can feel her howl in his hand. And this sudden hunger to have her closer, all for the fact that she's reacting this dangerously to his simple request…

It's all so thrilling to him. Very.

And, lo, she's right here. In front of him. To draw closer. And have her reaction that much closer to his fervency, if he so wills. And oh, yes, he definitely so wills.

Automatically, his arms start to outstretch towards her, even though there is a little space between them, that doesn't need him to stretch out his arms out that far. At the same time, his feet cross the space, the half of a foot distance between them, to destroy this sickening space between them completely.

The static from her, is calling for him, luring him to her, and his mind can do nothing to stop his body from reacting like this, because he's actually pleasured to be indulging in it like this. His heart is beating so wildly, that he can taste the pounding of it on his tongue. His body is tight, anticipating, waiting, and itching to yank her into him and _feel_ her reaction up-close. So no, he has no intention of resisting this with his mind.

When his hands touch her, willingly, she does the strangest thing. Not only does she abruptly stop the glorious, invigorating sound of her howl, and even loses the expression on her face, she moves so quickly to grip him on either side of his waist with her hands. Although he didn't expect that from her, his ever-combat-ready-body, and especially heated with spasmodic excitement, he instantly reacts by shoving her enough, to make her lose all contact with him, and then hit the wall behind her with her back.

'Ugh!' leaves her mouth in an irritated moan.

Oooh… His heart speeds up just a little bit more.

Something about seeing her hit the wall the way that she does, and then wince out in pain at the contact, does something incredible to him. Noticing how she looks like she enjoyed the way that it hurt, makes him accelerate to another point, where he feels ready to make her go through it again. Without wasting a second, he attempts to make her cry out in again, only, she doesn't allow him to.

Her deceiving body, which looks plain and drab, is evidently very lithe and agile, because at the last second, before he can crush his body atop hers against the wall, she slides out of the way. Not only that, she manages to get behind him, and then circle him with her arms. By the time that he comes to register that she's got her arms around his torso in a delicate hold, his body is already _too_ soft, and he feels a little weak.

What?

What in the world is she doing to him, that he's getting soft for her all of a sudden? He'd been a hard rod of firmness, with excitement fueling his tight body, and suddenly, without getting the time to register the change coming, he's soft? Talk about a colossal downgrade. And infuriating too!

'Stop that!' he immediately bursts.

She's not even holding him that tightly, that he would have trouble making her arms move away from his body. But oh, she's holding him tightly, all right. And that infuriates him.

This delicate tightness from her, that his supreme body has no idea how to deal with, is making him lose his mind. He thought that he could intimidate everyone in his way, because well, he can, because he has that ability to, but here, he can't get rid of the softness in his body, that arose from the delicate touch of this… This… Lithe and delicate woman?

'No!' she boldly challenges. 'You need to promise me that you'll take a bath first!'

She's not serious! Promise her what? He's not a small child, he doesn't need to promise her anything. After all, in their equation, he is the stronger, and he has much more of an expanded advantage over her, which means that promises from him to her, are naught.

'Let go of me, _I said_!' he barks, although…

It's curious, because in his mind, he knows that he is perfectly capable of getting her hands and arms off him, and then fling her across the room if he wishes, except, he can't seem to command his body to want differently, than being in this new delicate embrace of hers.

Embrace. How disgusting of him to even think of this word.

He hates it. He really hates how this softness contrasts his entire being's foundation, and yet, his body seems to want nothing better than to disobey him. _He_ , of course, doesn't feel any type of pleasure being like this with her, but his inaction, his inability to separate himself from her delicate hold, is daring to challenge an outsider to think otherwise. And yes, that's playing with his perfect mind as one would expect.

'Promise to take a bath,' she insists, maintaining her terms or release.

Frustrated at her stubborn refusal to hear and accept the words that came from his mouth, his clenches his jaw tightly. With jaws pressed together, he closes his eyes too, however, closing his eyes, is a by-product of manifested frustration. It's not necessarily that he thinks to close his eyes, to demonstrate his frustration, it just happens without his proper consent, that he finds himself barking the same order to her again.

'Let go of me now!'

Too badly, he wants to let her know that he doesn't take instructions from anyone, but the fact is that he's still very much aware that he _is_ hungry and he would like to eat. It's obvious to him that he can go somewhere else, and just force any other person to feed him, but this woman _seems to have it in her head that she can challenge him and disobey his authority_. And that, he can't have. That, he needs to demonstrate against.

'I won't tell you again,' he decides to emphasise it to her.

'Fine,' she surprisingly answers.

He begins to feel her hands slowly leave him, but that is also when she speaks to him again, 'If that is how you want to play it...'

From the moment that she accepted her defeat and said, 'Fine,' he thought that she would dutifully let him go, only to be taken by surprise when she starts something that he doesn't recognise. Well, _he_ doesn't recognise it, but apparently his _body_ does. To him, whatever she's started doing to his body, feels strange, although, not as strange as the sound that he hears come from his own mouth.

In the world?! What is that disturbing sound? And why is it making shaking reverberations in his body?

'I won't stop until you promise to get in that bath, _mister_ ,' her voice sounds through his own disturbing sounds.

With help from her words, he reluctantly falls into the realisation that she's making her fingertips crawl over his sides, like fast and busy insects that ought to be in a place that they currently in. In short, he recognises that she's… For the love of supremacy, the woman is tickling him!

Why, he'd never!

If she's tickling him, then the only plausible explanation to the disturbing sound that's coming from his mouth, is… Dare he say it, laughter? Really, he's laughing at a time like this? Really, he's choosing now, of all times to be jovial with this frustrating woman?

Whichever is worse, he can't decide at the moment; That one, she's successively having undesired and mentally unwelcomed effects on him, that two, his body, which is the ultimate epitome of strength, is not as strong as to resist strengthless attacks or touches, or that three, he can't do anything to stop himself from laughing like this. Well, no matter, he decides, if it takes him making her a promise to release him from this torture of helplessness, he'll tolerate it for a second, until he has the upper hand again.

'Fine! I'll take the bath!' he begrudgingly manages to tell her, snapping his eyes open.

True to her word, which greatly surprises him, she instantly stops making her fingers crawl over his sides. Her hands, however, do not leave his sides, it's only her eyes that look straight into his, enough for him to see that the previous blaze that had been in them, is gone.

Unlike he would've expected, he feels a little uncomfortable jab in his stomach, for realising that her once-beckoning eyes, have now turned soft, with the remnants of mirth around the corners. He won't say it is this way, but it almost seems to him, like he misses that initial reaction from her, that got them here in the first place. He almost wants to think that he should say something to make her howl out her outrage again. Because, the result on his body, he could repeat again.

'Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?' she asks, a soft smile deforming her lips.

Instantly, with a frown to match it, he decides that he doesn't like that smile of hers. It's too simple and yet genuine, not diluted in anything to do with external factors. The thing about that smile, is that it just seems so in the moment, just between the two of them. She's making it seem like something so special between them and their current time together, that he just hates it.

What gives her the right to think of him and her in the same secluded thought? She should separate him from her thoughts, because he is by no means connected to her in that way. There is no conjunctive between them, that allows for him, a supreme and extremely extinguished being, and her, a basic weakling, to be in the same thought, that she would smile because of it.

It's disrespectful and presumptuous. And he'll show her just how wrong she is to assume that can conjoin them in her head, and manifest that through a smile. No, he'll show her…

Quickly, he grabs hold of her entire upper body and pulls her into him. It makes him smile for a change, when he hears her pull in a sharp breath. This is off to a good start, he thinks, because clearly, he's dominating this round, and there is no escape for her. Of course, he could easily wipe the smile off his face and pretend not be affected by how he took her by surprise, but no, it's a stroke on his ego that he can get a reaction out of her.

'Isn't it your turn to tell me to stop it?' he huskily asks, raising one eyebrow down at her. 'To let you go?'

She should be at his mercy in his hold, and yet, his hands aren't holding her tightly enough, and his stance, it's just not intimidating enough. He can't understand why that is so, he only knows that even if he commanded his hands to tighten their hold, it wouldn't happen. Still, he hopes that she doesn't realise this about him, and rather focuses on his taunt for her to beg him to let her go.

'Don't be ridiculous, Goku,' she answers carefully. 'Close to you like this, why would want such a thing? And why would you?'

 _You're right_ , a voice in his head speaks to him, _why would I want that?_

It's that voice again! That voice that seems to only sound out when he doesn't need it the most. It always seems to be taunting him, too, but this time, he will not allow it to entertain this woman. He can't trust that voice around this woman, because she presents to be a sorcerer of some sort. Because really, how else can he explain that she first got him all excited and weak to reach out for her, and then completely defeated to softness?

No, such risks, he will not tolerate to be entertained, and to make sure of that, he shoves her away from her, and shows his hand towards the door.

'Get out!' he orders. 'I'll take the stupid bath, but you _better_ have my food ready!'

When she only stands there looking at him, as though he said nothing of importance to her, he starts to wonder if he's ever told her that he despises her, because he does. Passionately.

'Get out now, I said!' he shouts at her with all of his might.

* * *

Chapter 7, **Game Of Survival.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, **Game Of Survival.**

* * *

From the bathroom, Chi-Chi returns to the kitchen with her hand on her forehead, unsure of whether to make her fingers scratch her forehead, or to press her palm further against her forehead for heavier pressure there. Considering that she neither has a headache, nor feels uncomfortable pressure in her head, it's quite telling that she's conflicted over something so trivial and meaningless, at least in the sense of aiding her current situation. It's telling, in that there's a bigger issue within her here, that she can't dare to outwardly express, but urgently –for relief's sake- needs to push out of her, hence she minimally manifests her overall feelings through that single undecided action.

'Pardon us for entering without proper notice,' a voice that she's vaguely familiar with rudely cuts through her walking haze, 'but I'm afraid that we have an urgent matter to collect here.'

Having looked up and around to find where the voice is coming from while it was still speaking, at the end of those words, she finds herself looking at two people who she didn't even consider to be here for any reason. Never once in her mind, did she entertain the thought of the Destruction god and his servant being in her house, even accidentally, and yet, here they are, standing in the middle of her kitchen as though they belong here.

Their smug postures while standing in their spots, like they have more than enough rights to be here, would normally stir her up the wrong way, but not this time. She also would've berated them on appearing in the privacy of her home without an invitation, but with how Goku managed to work her up all the ways of displaced, she doesn't have any more room in her nerves, to be worked up.

'What _is_ that matter?' she specifically asks the person who spoke.

Since they are here, uninvited at that, she might as well skip the pleasantries of welcoming them formally. Just because they made the choice to appear inside her house without permission, she especially can't care for formalities and sucking up to them, in the hope that she will be spared from destruction, if the Destruction god suddenly feels the need to destroy her.

'He goes by the name of Zamaku,' the servant lets her know. 'He is a fusion of Goku and Zamasu, and he is potentially too dangerous to be on this Earth.'

A small involuntary sigh leaves through her mouth, as she looks from the Destruction god to his servant individually. The god, she observes, appears like he has been in better places than her home, and would rather not be here, while the servant appears to be at ease, unbothered by anything in general. As a pair however, standing in the middle of her kitchen, she just doesn't have the time for entertaining them.

'What is it that you _really_ want?' she wants to know.

Out of her mouth, the question feels strangely tasteless, that she has to subtly open and close her mouth in a tasting motion, to see if she can find some residue flavor within. When she doesn't find even a trace of taste, her mind goes on automatic alert that something is not right here. The Destruction god suddenly snapping his attention to her at her question, just further adds to her private alert.

'Watch your tone!' he growls. 'We are not your everyday peasants!'

They may not be her everyday peasants, but they sure behaved like it when they broke into her home without her permission. She may not call them out aloud on doing such a classless thing, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't feel some way about it. He can say all he wants about being superior, however, in her eyes, doing inconsiderate things places him on a level with everyone else, and no amount of destructive power will be able to get rid of that fact.

'I need to know what you really want,' she says, looking at the attendant again, 'because I am in the middle of something.'

What she really means, what she isn't telling them, is that she is in a disturbed state of frustration, irritation and curiosity in varying doses, although enough to unsettle her fundamental core. If anyone were to consider that only hours ago, her husband was recovering from an injury that he got from an evil god, also that that said evil god did the despicable act of killing her son, and then her husband returned home merged with that same evil god, they'd understand her feelings, and why she doesn't feel up to dancing around in circles to get answers from the same line of people as the god directly responsible for her feelings.

'Of course,' the attendant appears to understand her meaning by nodding at her. 'Coming here unannounced, we should've expected this, however…'

Pausing in his speech, his purple eyes look into hers, seemingly with the intention of penetrating beyond her irises to the next best thing, which is her soul, and dig out from there what's really important. Much more than she refuses to use his name, (because even though she knows it, she doesn't believe that they are amicable enough for her to use it), she dislikes the manner in which his eyes are trying to dissect her into her soul, for only he knows what. She dislikes that added onto his indiscernible quiet manner, his stare is more than just visual capture, and for that reason, she clears her throat and averts her eyes to the other one.

'Look at me, my dear,' the attendant tries to bring her attention back to him, which she reflexively gives him.

She realises too late that she's gone back and done the very thing that she'd been trying to avoid, but when she considers how his already soft face has become soft in the time between looking away and him telling her to look at him, she decides to keep eye contact with him. The way that he looks now, it's more like he realises that he'd been trying to intrude, and would rather that he not make her feel uncomfortable. She doesn't know if she should trust that about him, except, she has nothing to lose in giving him the benefit of the doubt.

'As I was saying,' he picks up after elegantly clearing his throat, 'Coming here unannounced was not the ideal thing to do, however, the situation that we find ourselves in, is not ideal either. In short, my dear, we've come to take your… Well, the one with your husband's body.'

She suspected as much, she wryly thinks while her heart does something close to resembling a mini heart attack. When she saw them in the middle of her kitchen (the purple god especially looking bored), she suspected that they had come for Goku, hence, her mind going into private panic. It's only that now, getting to hear the words said, brought out into the open air, anxiety cannot remain contained and private within her anymore.

'You want to take my Goku?' her anxiety surfaces through her words.

'It is safer for the Earth if he is not here,' the attendant replies in a way of gentle reasoning.

Partly flabbergasted at his answer, and not in the good way at all, she takes a step away from them. In her rising anxiety, she wants nothing more than to get away from the pair that wants to take her Goku away from her. She supposes that anxiety is stupid that way, that it has no reasoning ability, to discern that physical attempts at flight, don't overrule the reality of emotional turmoil. Even so, she feels that distance between her and the pair, is the better thing for overall.

'You can't take him,' she shakily breathes out. 'Not my Goku.'

'That's not him!' the god suddenly outrages. 'He's a destructive blend of two beings, one of which is stupid, and the other, evil.'

In dealing with her merged husband so far, everything within her, her feelings, her thoughts and her questions magnificently elevated. With how he arrogantly kept pushing her, it was inevitable that everything elevated beyond their normal peak. Push her, he did. Upset her, he also did. Make her want to throw him out of the house for an hour, he excellently brought out of her. And yet, even with all that, she never once considered him to be dangerous. Besides being smug, he hasn't proved to do anything threatening to the Earth.

And stupid, _really_?

Inaccurately accusing Goku of being 'destructive and dangerous' is one thing, but how dare he, he who has no real knowledge of the man she is married to, come into her house -uninvited as he did-, stand before her like he is better than her on all the planes of the universe, and then insult the man who's life means her heart willingly pumping blood for her own life? How dare he, look at her and accuse her husband of being stupid?

For this, she will not stand!

She kept her composure with them so far, only showing so much aggression as politeness could tolerate along with it. She also allowed them the courtesy that they quite frankly, in her opinion, don't deserve. She tolerated them arousing anxiety within her, and she was going to tolerate them for a little bit longer, until her limit was passed, but no more! They crossed the very sacred line of insulting her husband in his _own home_! Respected gods with destructive powers or not, this pair is leaving her house. Instantly.

'And now that you've so _wisely_ informed me of that,' she says, closing her eyes specifically to censor herself, before continuing, 'please _get out_ of my house.'

' _What?!_ '

The question is more of a screech than anything else. It's pitched just right too, to convey the amount of surprised disdain that the speaker feels, and make her focus her attention on him once again. Her renewed focus on him, after seeing how outraged he is at her comment, brings a satisfying sense of pleasure. If only she could feel like this, instead of feeling anxious for Goku's presence.

'How Rude!' the god indignantly insists. 'Don't you know _who I am_? I could destroy you right here!'

Is that a threat, she wonders, silently challenging him with her eyes for a moment. Goku threatened to do the same thing earlier, but if _he_ couldn't bring out fear in her, why would a god that she doesn't have any relation to, be able to? Also, since he asked, does _he know_ who _she_ is?

'Now, now,' the attendant calmly intervenes, breaking their silent challenge, 'there's really no need for any of that, Lord Beerus. Remember that it is _we_ who are intruding inside her home. She is every bit as entitled to want to kick us out, don't you think?'

While the grunts his disapproval as a spoiled child being chastised would do, she rather thinks that the attendant is a good voice of reason. Perhaps, the attendant is the tamer to the brute god, which wouldn't surprise her at all, because ever since she found them in her kitchen, the god has been comporting himself as one prone to tantrums.

'But,' the attendant carefully turns to her to say, 'I would advise you to be careful with _how_ you speak to Lord Beerus, my dear. He is the god of Destruction, after all.'

He is the god of Destruction, yes, that she acknowledges, but _does she care_? At the moment, no, she does not. His role as god of Destruction, doesn't give him the authority to treat her as he will in her own home. She would like to believe that at a time when her husband didn't crawl under her skin beforehand, and the pair of them didn't shake her up even more with their ludicrous demands of taking him away under the pretence of 'danger', she would've paid them more respect and formal behaviour. Although, if they can't afford her respect, she has no incentive to give it back to them.

'I was simply trying to say that he's staying here with me,' she calmly announces, stepping back to them to be as clear on the subject as she needs to be.

'My dear,' the attendant quietly replies, 'you misunderstood. I wasn't asking. You don't have a choice in the matter.'

Just in time, she stops herself from snorting out a laugh at the revelation. She doesn't feel like laughing, least of all with them, and yet, there's something about his quiet answer that calls for an amused snort from her. She stops the snort from sounding out just in time, but the emotion behind the snort remains untouched inside of her, which is why she repeats what she said previously.

'He's staying here with me.'

It's a simple statement of fact. If he wants, he can interpret that as her telling him that _he_ misunderstood her as well, and that they don't have a choice in the matter like he just said to her, but all it really is, is a statement that she won't back away from. It's final, she's decided that she's not going to debate about it. She is the wife in this equation, which means that what she says, goes without a break.

At this new determined repetition, the two look at each other as if to communicate something. She watches as the attendant raises his eyebrows and the god respond to that, by doing a slow motion rolling of his head. After he completes what she assumes is a frustrated dance with his head, he gathers himself to look at her. For a brief second, he looks like he's going to say something every unpleasant to her, but then he simply pushes out a long breath, to regally place his hands behind his back.

'Whis,' he calls in a drone, 'get the evil idiot. We're leaving.'

'Right away, Lord Beerus,' the attendant compliantly replies.

Oh no, he won't, Chi-Chi's anxiety accelerates, making her adopt a stance that's ready to block him from moving if that is what it will take. Only, the attendant doesn't attempt to move as she though he would. Where she expected that he would move around the house to find Goku, he simply stretches out his staff towards the bathroom, and the next thing that she knows, a naked with slippery looking skin, Goku appears floating near them. And unconscious. Realising that he's not conscious, her feet automatically take her to him in three long steps, following the instructions from her feelings.

'Goku…' the scared whisper of his name leaves her mouth.

They don't understand, these gods don't know what it is that they are really doing. They don't know the harm in taking Goku away from her. This god spoke of Goku being a danger to the Earth, when in reality, the danger is taking him away from _her_.

She knows Goku in ways that no one else does. She has an emotional bond with him, which no one else can brag about. She knows how to get him to see reason, and she can break through his reluctance and more. She knows his body, and has a connection with it, like no one has ever had the privilege of experiencing. And because of all this, she's the only person that he should be in contact with, until she can figure out what's keeping him and Zamasu merged. Finding that out, will be the key to unlocking their merge and separating them. Yes, she doesn't like the idea of Zamasu's thoughts being in control in that body, but there's comfort in seeing first-hand that Goku _has_ control of his body, and would never use it to harm anything.

If Goku stays with her, she could very well tame Zamasu's mind through Goku's body, but if they take him away, they might just increase Zamasu's hostile resistance to something that might just overwhelm her Goku. Simply put, she thinks that away from her, the only one that knows Goku, Zamasu, feeling taken against his will eventually get her Goku killed, and no, the gods won't be the ones to suffer that loss. Taken against his will, held captive,

'Please don't take him,' she pleads to the pair, who brilliantly ignore her.

High on stifling anxiety, she feels desperate. Desperate even to get on her knees and beg them to allow him to stay with her for rehabilitation, if it comes to that. However, in ignoring her plea, the two demonstrate to her that she has no chance against this.

'Get some clothes on him, Whis,' the god roughly commands as though she didn't speak at all. 'He's not about to enter my planet as he is.'

When the seemingly pleasant attendant nods as a sign that he will carry out the command, she feels like a nail is being driven into a specific spot in her heart.

When he waves his staff and clothes cover Goku's body, she feels her stomach attempt to make an exit from her body.

And when, out of the blue, the three vanish from her sight, without giving her the smallest chance at groveling at their feet for her husband's body, she feels her body shatter.

Anxiety aside, dinner on the stove forgotten, with a damaged heart, a displaced stomach, and shattered body, she weakly collapses to the floor. They took her vulnerable husband away. She's lost her husband just like that, and she doesn't even know where to begin with getting him back. And even if she does get him back, what's to say that Goku's side would've survived, more than Zamasu's?

* * *

Chapter 8, **Halfway Gone.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8, **Halfway Gone.**

* * *

Over the years, she's experienced that there's ever only so much time that grace can allow her, to visibly fall apart, in the wake of tragedy, before she has to pull herself together again. Even when there hadn't been a crowd around to watch her fall apart, grace only allowed her a certain amount of time, to abandon herself; her strength, and her defining character, for something uninhibited, uncontrolled and feeble. Naturally, she could do with that time as she pleased. She could wail and thrash around, she could sob using her chest and entire upper body, and she could even stare off into space, while her soul went through a cave of tormenting emotions, but when that allotted time expired, everyday Chi-Chi had to return to her territory, immediately getting into survival mode.

Now is no different.

Grace, although having been a witness to what just happened with her husband, that god and his servant, doesn't give her a little bit more time, than it usually would, to lament the injustice of her loss. She finds it a tad unfair this time, simply because this isn't like any of the times that Goku left willingly, but she also remembers that grace has always been on her side. Always, grace has been listening and giving her the necessary time, on the condition that she pulled herself together, and moved to do something about her situation, through the reminder that her tears (no matter how heartfelt and precious they are), and being broken, didn't eventually resolve the situation. That's why grace has always _only_ given her a limited amount of time to bask in the abandon of her emotions.

That hasn't changed.

Her given time, is finally up and she has to gather her collapsed body off of the floor, get on her feet and dust herself off, in order to get the remnants of her vulnerable moment, permanently off her. Though it would seem like it, the way that she is taking time in smoothing her clothes with careful precision, she is in no way attempting to put her moment behind her, to make it seem like it never happened. What she is doing, is simply compartmentalising her moment of emotion, for her to have the fully functional ability to deal with the situation at hand; what she can do, apart from getting emotional, about the forceful detraction of her husband from their home. Only that way, can she truly get into stable gear, for how best to handle, and deal with this situation that she finds herself in.

'You've been without Goku before, Chi-Chi. This is nothing new,' she encourages herself in a whisper after she's finished arranging herself.

True, her heart answers her mind, but the difference is that this time, Goku wasn't even conscious when he left. Unlike in the past when he made the decision to leave, this time he didn't even know that he was leaving, because those two didn't give him the chance to know it. They simply came into her home, and took him with them, as if he was their property and responsibility, leaving her in the empty house all by herself.

Well, no, not really by herself, because now that the afforded breaking time from grace is over, she starts to notice things around her. Like the unseen image of Goku appearing in the air one second, and then disappearing together with the god and his servant, as her eyes look at the spot where she'd last seen him. Like the worry surrounding her, as she remembers that he had been taking a bath, and claimed to be hungry. Like the fear developing within, as she recalls his conceited behaviour, and how that could potentially get him into more trouble with the god.

She's worried about him, like really worried. She's got herself together, and she is using her feet to move now, automatically heading for the bathroom that she knows he didn't tidy up, but she is still worried about him. There's a difference between being stuck in a state of emotion for the bad that has happened, and still feeling strong emotions for something, while going through life as she ought to, which is what separates her worry from being an emotional breakdown.

What will happen to him? Really, she wonders, what will happen to her husband?

His manner of talking is different, he has this partly condescending smirk on his face, and he goes about as though everything from the natural light, to the rice that he has to eat, has to fear him without question. With that attitude, she's worried about what they will do to him, once they get fed up with him. A god such as that Beerus one, must seek to be revered without question too, and that being the case, the two of them are bound to hit into each other, until one of them cannot take it anymore. Her intuition tells her that of the two, Beerus will be the first to crack that is unless he finds out how to work around Goku.

Really, she considers upon entering the bathroom, just contemplating that, someone should tell her how she cannot be worried about what will happen to him? She goes straight for the used towel in the bathroom, knowing to use that for wiping of the water from all the surfaces, but her thoughts still remain on worry for her husband.

What are they going to do to him? Having taken him against his will, what will they put him through?

She goes on about cleaning the bathroom, as she would be able to do in her sleep, although, her thoughts refuse to divert to anything else that isn't her husband. Normally, besides wanting the house in order, she also uses cleaning as a clearing time for her mind too. Except for this evening, when she can't help it repeating the same thoughts of worry in her head, which unfortunately doesn't leave her mind clear at all.

They mentioned something about him being a danger to the Earth, but that cannot be. If he _was_ a danger to the Earth, he wouldn't have come home in the first place. He would've gone out, looking for people to challenge him, and make a show of his power for all the nation to see, but he didn't. Instead, he obeyed his body (which only Goku is capable of doing), listening to its needs, before he did anything else. How can someone capable of taking orders, even from her, who has no physical strength to match his, be a danger to the Earth?

Tucked between her worry for how he is, she's bothered by the fact that they took him against his will. Taking him against his will, can only mean that they don't have any good plans for him.

She worriedly wonders, what are they going to do to him? How are they going to treat him? Will they dress him in the clothes that he likes, since he didn't even have clothes on him when they took him? Are they going to give him a comfortable bed to sleep in? And food? Will they feed him before he goes to bed? He'd been hungry, so are they really going to give him as much as his stomach needs, or are they simply going to throw him dry slices of bread?

 _By heaven_ , her heart sighs, _she's worried about him_.

Maybe her worry is irrational, but what can she do? They didn't give her a chance to try with him. They only forced him to leave his home, so how is she _not_ supposed to worry? How can she turn down her restlessness, when she knows nothing about anything. Yes, Goku can take care of himself, but still... The fact that she doesn't know about why, and how this fusion between Goku and Black happened, has her hostage in worry shambles.

After she finishes cleaning the bathroom, and she's washed them, she carries them in a basket, past the kitchen, to hang outside. Despite her consuming worry, she won't be as careless as to leave wet towels inside a laundry basket, in waiting for the next day. If she did that, one, the smell will not be pleasant, and two, it's most likely that the towels will catch a slight mould, and _that_ she cannot have. At least, if she can't have stopped that god from taking her husband, she can stop the towels from stinking up the bathroom, and getting infected with mould.

'He didn't even eat,' she weakly remembers again, as she carries the wet towels past the kitchen.

In any case, needing to take care of the wet towels right away, she forces herself to forget that fact for a moment. Later, when she's hung up the towels, she can come back to giving attention to the worry that he didn't eat yet. But... Speaking of the towels, was it maybe her fault that Goku was taken? Should she have taken measures, to make sure that he didn't leave, like she is doing with the towels so that they don't develop mould or stink up the house? Did she miss to do something preventative?

The questioning thoughts continue to play in her head, as she lifts the wet towels to the line for hanging, and her eyes catch sight of the stars in the sky. She finds that the image of the silent stars, does something to her, something weakening, that her hands still on the wire line for support. Her eyes keep in place, staring at the stars too, while her mind sees beyond the stars. Transfixed on the image of the stars quietly minding their lives, and simply shining as they always do, she wonders if her Goku is somewhere out there? Behind the endless array of stars, is he being held captive? She wonders too, if he _is_ conscious now. As the stars are awake, not hidden by the light of the sun, is he in his right state of mind as well? Or are those two meddling inside his mind, to change his way of thinking?

'Oh, I hope he's all right,' she quietly breathes out to the night, clutching the wire line meant for clothes, just a little bit more than before.

If he's conscious by now, is he feeling lost? Is he maybe even a little afraid for himself?

She'd like to know, what could possibly be going on through his head, if he is conscious at the moment? If only to feel something imitating of better about his absence, she'd find it better to know what his thoughts are, while she thinks of him. But, unfortunately, she knows that she can't have that luxury. When he's not physically with her, they have no way of communicating. Without the fantasy of connected souls and minds, that are telepathic between them, they (she, particularly) only has love to sustain them, and keep them grounded in the knowledge of the other, wherever they are.

'You be all right, Goku,' she quietly promises to the stars, deciding then, that staring out into the night sky will not do her any good.

With everything, she hopes that someone, somewhere, will _hear_ her prayer, to answer it. Shenron, or even one of those Supreme Kais. She needs for him to be fine, at least. If he can't be with her, he should at least be fine. Not lacking, not worrying and not wondering. As for her, she needs to finish up out here, go back inside the house, and tend to the pots that she left on the stove. It's a bit of an internal struggle for her to let go of watching the stars, but she has to do it. In an odd way, she may feel connected to Goku as she watches the stars, considering that he, like the stars isn't even on the Earth anymore, but the reality is that no amount of staring out into the sky, will keep her worry out of her system.

Once she is finished outside, and she has locked the front door, she quietly does what she needs to do around the kitchen, even humming a little tune to keep her company, so that her thoughts do not stray to her taken husband. For the most part, the humming helps her stay clear of wondering and wondering some more, however, her heart still feels heavy inside her chest. The distraction of humming keeps her mind away from thinking, but her heart doesn't easily fall into the trap of that same distraction, and as soon as she starts packing the food away, a clear reminder that no one will eat it, her heart reveals its feelings.

She is alone at home. No husband, and no son here with her. Oh, how her heart misses them, that she feels lonely like she has never felt in her life.

Should she call Gohan, and then Bulma? Should she tell Gohan to go and get Goten from Bulma's for her? Because if that were to happen, she would be sure to find comfort in sleeping with Goten in her bed. Just his innocent presence, would be able to comfort her, like it has done in the past, when extreme worry for Goku pressed her down. Goten has always been her silent anchor these past years. The only reason that she sent him away to Bulma's, was so that he wouldn't be offended by Goku's uptight behaviour, except, after all, now she wants him back. She wants her baby back.

But, _if_ she gets him back, what will she tell him in the morning? What will she say when he wants to know where his father is? Will she really be able to tell him that she begged that god not to take Goku, but he refused? And thinking of that god...

Is her Goku still intact in that body, or is he being pushed into a corner as she thinks they are most likely to do to him? What in the world could those two doing to him right now? What if they are using some type of disciplinary action against him, maybe locking him up in a cage, because they think that he is too dangerous? What if Goku is being rightfully rebellious, and they feel the need to keep him line?

 _Oh_ , she pulls in a breath, with her hand over her heart, _if she doesn't stop this repetitive thinking of hers_ , she's going to turn grey.

What she should do instead, is make herself a cup of soothing tea, to help her relax, and once she has relaxed, she can go to bed with a free-from-worry mind, for a good night's of rest. In that mindset, feeling prompted, she turns on the kettle, and then prepares everything that she needs to make her cup of tea, but by the time that the water boils, she's no longer in the mood for it. During the time that she waited for the water to boil, she had different thoughts that contributed to her questioning herself, with; really how does she think tea will relax her exactly? Real relaxation, she will only do when Goku is back with her here at home. Before that happens, she can do whatever she thinks will help her, but she won't ever be able to relax.

She needs to go to bed, rather, she tells herself.

Yes, she needs to sleep. She needs to allow sleep to collate her thoughts and feelings, so that when she wakes up in the morning, she'll have a clear mind. With a clear mind, she can... Well, at the moment, she doesn't know how a clear mind will help her get her husband back, but she just knows that she needs it. She also just knows that for as long as she is going around this house, reminders of what took place, will keep coming to her mind, thus inducing the same repetitive thoughts of worry in her head, and that, she should avoid by going to bed altogether.

Hmm, yes, she carefully nods, the prospect of not worrying about the same thing over and over, is highly appealing to her, (because in her mind, a part of her still feels that she is being irrational in her worry) that she immediately leaves the tea behind, turns off all of the lights, and then heads straight for their bedroom. Her undressing process, is hurried, as she is mostly focused on the goal of getting some rest and from that, a clear mind. In bed, though, she quickly learns that no matter which way she turns, this way, or that way, she can't find a comfortable place to rest her body, or head. All she does, regardless of her posture, is keep wiggling her body, hoping to fall into the right angle and position of sleep, but it doesn't happen.

If only this tossing was about her sleeping alone in a big bed, because although she hasn't slept alone in a while, if she had to –like now- her body would remember to recognise sleeping alone, and not make a fuss about it. This isn't about her sleeping alone, she comes to the conclusion after several minutes of attempting to force her eyes shut, it's about being restless in her thoughts, that she eventually gives up on thinking that she _can_ fall asleep in this state. Bolting up in bed, she reconsiders her previous thought of sleep, for another fix.

Like maybe... Maybe a bath will fix her. She could soak in warm water, and...

She swears, she sighs as she begins to get out of bed, this, what she's doing, is probably what killing yourself, but not actually dying, feels like. Thinking you've taken care of what you wanted to, and believing that you've achieved your goal, only to realise after a while, that no, it's not like that, must be that feeling. How discouraging and frustrating it is to be like this. Like this, who is to say that the bath will even work for her? Who can convince her that it won't just be another attempt that will fail, and become time that she simply consumed for no actual result?

Oh, this is so discouraging, and on top of being worried about her husband, she really doesn't need any more discouragement.

In any case, desperate to try, she leaves the room, expertly navigating through the dark, to go and start running the bath. Upon entering the bathroom, however, a questioning thought hits her; will she really be able to sit in the bathtub for relaxation, knowing that this is the last place where Goku had been before they took him? It's true what they say then, she remembers with a tired heart, that one incident, one occurrence, can change the association of one specific thing, in one's mind. In this case, what she is sure of is that actually sitting in the bathtub, she will not be able to associate with relaxation.

Hmmpf! This is really so frustrating!

Cleaning up, she did easily, but anything else, she hasn't been able to talk her mind into. That can only mean really, that there's really _only_ really thing left to do, and that one thing, is Goten. If it takes waking him from sleep, she will do it. Since everything else failed, there's certainty within her that Goten will not fail her.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

She had considered calling Gohan to tell him that Beerus took Goku, but she thought that as a man with his own family, she shouldn't bother him with her troubles. At least, if she didn't know what happened to Goku, she would be going from house to house, asking where he might be, but this is different. Even though she doesn't know where exactly in the universe he is, she knows that he was taken. That way, she was easily able to come to the conclusion not to involve Gohan, and rather head over to Capsule Corp. herself.

Since she didn't take note of the time that passed since Goku was taken and now, it's a bit of a surprise for her, when Vegeta is the first one to meet her at the front glass doors, before she even announces her presence. He too, she sees, is surprised to see her. She reads question on his face, just before it changes to something like understanding. She has not had many interactions with Vegeta over the years, except, she can say with certainty that understanding is not a look that she has seen on his face before.

'It's late,' is the first thing that comes out of his mouth, although, it doesn't sound like a hostile statement.

'They took my Goku, Vegeta,' she softly cries to him, airing her reason for being here to him.

'I know,' he deeply answers, like he had only been waiting for her to say that.

Then, her heart perks up with a little bit of hope, if he knows that, she wants to know, 'Where did they take him?'

For an immediate answer to her question, he only looks at her for a moment, and then turns his back on her, leaving to start walking away from her. He doesn't get further than the door on his immediate right, which is only six steps away from the front door, and she takes that to mean that she should follow him. Cautiously, she follows after him, measuring her steps, while trying to prepare herself for whatever it is that Vegeta may have to tell her.

When she thinks about it, why else would he lead her into a room, if not to deliver some type of bad news to her? She has to be internally prepared for that.

As she enters the room that he led her into, she finds him pouring a drink into a glass, from one counter on the side of the room. She's not interested to know what this room is for, but if she had to guess, taking into account that it's right by the front door, it has to be the immediate receiving room. Obviously, the house portion of Capsule Corp. doesn't share the same reception area as the company, so this has to be the first room of reception for visitors who aren't regulars. Anyhow, now inside the room, she watches him pour the light brown liquid into a glass, and her mind automatically goes to the tea that she had thought to make for herself back at home. That's clearly not tea that he is pouring from a glass, she can see that, but still, she somehow allows her mind to go with tea, that when he comes towards her with the glass in his hand, offering it to her, she takes it without hesitation.

'I don't know where they took him,' he answers, 'but know _that_ is not Kakarrot alone.'

She knows that. _She_ interacted with him, both verbally and physically, for probably longer than any of the rest of them have at this point, so she knows that it's not solely Goku inside that body. Also, she really doesn't care about that little fact, she just needs to know where they took him to, because they did it against his will, at a vulnerable time.

'Where did they take him?' she asks again, desperate to hear him say something about it, even a lie at this point.

Closing his eyes and crossing his arms as though mustering patience for it, Vegeta again tells her, 'I don't know.'

But he must know, she reasons while looking at him. He trained with that Whis one too, just as Goku had done. Vegeta trained before Goku ever did with Whis. He must know where they live, or at least have an idea of where they would take him, if _not_ where they live.

'You know where they live,' she reminds him.

He's seemingly unimpressed by her reminder, for he opens his eyes, to look at her with purpose. He doesn't say anything to argue with her, but his stare is enough to communicate that she doesn't know what in the world she is bordering on suggesting. Fear isn't exactly what she would name his silent communication, although, it's something close.

'Drink,' he finally gets out of her mouth, gesturing with a nod to the glass in her hand.

Without question, she simply obeys him, bringing the glass to her lips for a drink. The first touch of the liquid on her lower lip, is nothing, but on her tongue, the touch reveals its true colours. Instantly, after clenching her jaws together in protest, she spits the sip onto the floor, just as suddenly dropping the glass from her hand, because she doesn't want any part in something so strong and foul.

'Ugh!' she softly revolts from her mouth.

She doesn't know what she had been thinking in bringing a sip of alcohol to her tongue. Actually, no, she _does_ know what state of mind she had been in, to accept the drink from Vegeta. She had wanted tea to relax her at home, but she never drank it, and so here, she imagined that a drink (not necessarily alcohol) would calm her in the same line of effect as tea. Instead of that happening, however, the glass lands with a cracking shatter on the floor, making her realise what she has done.

She wastes no time in falling to her knees, rushing to catch the glass that has already touched the ceramic floor, and shattered. Subconsciously, she's ignoring the reality of what just happened, because still just wants to stop something that already happened, from happening. Much like what she is trying to do with the feelings left behind by Goku's abduction.

'Leave it,' Vegeta's voice commands her.

She doesn't know what it is about Vegeta that's bringing out an obedient, or maybe dependant side from her, but to everything that he does, she finds herself listening to. Like now, she easily hears him, and just as easily lifts her head to look at him.

'I'm sorry about that,' she apologises for the mess, while remaining on her knees.

'There are people to clean,' he simply answers.

Thankfully (she feels), he's not saying it directly, but she knows that he is really telling her that it's okay. She sees it written on his face that, he can understand her somehow, that he is in no way blaming her for her actions.

'Please tell me, Vegeta,' she begs, not even realising that she's on her knees as she does. 'Do you know where they took him?'

'No.'

As flatly as he says it, she feels her hope go, and with her flat hope, she feels the strongest compulsion to make someone, anyone, Vegeta, understand that it was an injustice to take Goku like that.

'They are wrong, you know?' she quietly says, her head moving from side to side in denial. 'He's not a threat to the Earth. Goku would never harm it.'

' _Zamasu_ would,' Vegeta tells her point-blank. 'The two are fused, and for as long as they are fused, there's no telling what they _will_ do together. Zamasu hates humans, and Kakarrot loves to display his strength, so you can imagine the combination of that fusion.'

Fused. Fusion.

Those words miraculously bring her body up in a new kind of hope, different from the one that just became flat. The last time, when Goku told her how he had fused with Vegeta in order to defeat Buu, they surely came apart. This fusion too, c _an't_ be permanent. There has to be something to separate them, because even Trunks and Goten only have thirty minutes granted for their fusion.

'When will they unfuse?' she frantically wonders. 'It's possible to, isn't it? You and him weren't supposed to come apart, but you did.'

'I don't know what happened then,' Vegeta flatly replies. 'Don't ask me.'

How can she not ask him? He's the only one who can help her. There isn't anyone else who can give her information. He is the only one who knows about the ways of Saiyans, and he's been in a fusion with Goku before.

'But Vegeta, I-' she tries, only to be cut off.

'Get up. Go home, and get some rest,' he says. 'There's nothing we can do, but wait. Beerus and Whis are not who we should angering. Least of all you, if you want that one back.'

 _That_ is what she can do? Wait? So what does she do with her restless anxiety, then, while she waits? Heaven, she's already halfway gone to the current bout of anxiety, where will she keep it, that it won't birth more anxiety?

* * *

Chapter 9, **Invincible.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9, **Invincible.**

* * *

This feels new. Well, not entirely new. It feels… Completely distant from his being, if he is to be perfectly accurate. _This_ , thinking about opening his eyes before he does it, not preceded by the ready memory of what his last thought before now had been, _feels_ new to him. It's as if he's… What? He's waking up?

 _Is that it here?_

His eyes _are_ opening… So then... He is _really_ waking up? What is this? His mind cannot grasp the concept behind his eyes coming into focus, without having a previous memory attached to it, because… He's never, not once, shut off and was unaware. He's always been distinctly aware; mind, cognisant, and eyes, vigilant. Nothing like this.

Nothing at all like this, where he doesn't remember ever feeling distant from himself. The very notion of being distant from himself, suggests a horrible disconnection between his body and his mind, which he finds extremely foreign to his existence. He surely needs a distraction from this new and distant feeling. If not, he might just start to doubt himself, and that he cannot have.

Yes, he decides, he needs a distraction.

A good distraction, seeing as he can't immediately recall what took place before this, would be to look around him, and find out just where he is. He lifts his head first, and then he follows it with his body, to stand on his feet. Although he notices that he had been lying down on a bed, he doesn't care much to explore that fact, more than he is interested in getting out of this unrecognisable room. With a set mind, he begins to walk out the room, and it's only when he approaches the door, reaching out for the handle with his left hand, that he realises that he is no longer dressed in the clothes that he is supposed to be dressed in.

That fact, has him halting against his will.

Where is the bagginess of his black trousers? What happened to his orange shirt with long sleeves, underneath his sleeveless black garment? And what of his boots? Why is he suddenly dressed in a short-sleeved tight-fitting shirt, close to the colour of Universe 7's Supreme colour, only tainted with a ridiculous swirl of a mark over the upper left side of his chest? And why, in divine history, is his lower half covered in a dull coloured grey of trousers, that aren't as baggy as he would like them to be? His boots as well... His exquisite white boots have also been replaced for a pair of thick combat boots that reach only just above his ankles.

What is the meaning of this?

He needs answers, and since his immediate memory has taken on the role of being unavailable, he'll have to force his feet to start moving once again, and push against the feeling of being stripped of an essential part of himself, to go about looking for answers to his questions. It's a little harder than simply telling himself to push through what he feels, than he believed it would be, but being the proud being that he is, he does it. He moves along the place, his eyes looking different ways around him, to find that he doesn't recognise any single part of it, until eventually, his ears catch words being spoken, before he sees anyone before him.

'Have you considered it again, my Lord?' a smooth voice asks. 'We need to take him back.'

That smooth voice, he thinks as he takes smaller steps towards the voice, is making it sound very much like he is conversing with someone, a higher in rank than himself. Not only that, that voice gave off the impression that whoever he is engaging in a conversation with, it is the normal thing for them to do. As though, at least once a week, they have a conference at a convenient time for them, to discuss the progress that's been made.

'Don't speak foolishness, Whis,' a new, slightly irritably voice says. 'Why would I consider such a thing such as allowing him to get his hopes up about destroying the Earth?'

'Would you at least consider it?' the first voice, belonging to that angel Whis, insistently asks.

'Trust me, Whis, that one is in a dangerous state right now. We can't trust him on Earth.'

Zamaku stops moving. Surely, they are discussing _him_?

He doesn't mind being anyone's topic of discussion, and much less now that he's identified the voices discussing him to belong to Lord Beerus and his attendant Whis. However, he doesn't like the manner in which they are talking about him. In his mind, they are comfortably sitting there, tossing the subject of him, back and forth from each other, with no real intention of reaching a consensus, but rather for the sake of having a topic of discussion to entertain themselves.

Disrespectful!

'He hasn't yet done anything, my Lord,' the angel argue, pulling him from his thoughts. 'Does that not, in some way mean that he's all right for the time being?'

'No. He's barely resembling himself. We can't take the chance, because if something goes wrong, we will be responsible for it.'

With something that sound like amusement to Zamaku, the angel says, 'Your care is unusual, my Lord.'

'Think what you want,' the god replies dismissively. 'I only care about the food. I can't have the Earth's food gone from existence. Nothing more.'

'You're right,' the angel agrees. 'However, I was merely concerned for that poor begging woman. She seemed completely distraught, do you remember? She didn't want us taking him, and now we have him here.'

The begging woman? Completely distraught, she was? Because of _him_? She didn't want them to take him? Meaning... They... Those two... They treated him as a commoner, as one with no power of influence, and chose do to him things outside his knowledge?

Oh, oh, oh!

He's not liking any bit of that conversation taking place, or anything of what it's making him feel within. He doesn't like that he is not voluntarily in charge of the actions and functions that his body is currently subject to. He doesn't like that those two, are apparently the reason that he feels a distant disconnection from his own familiarity, that he can't even recall what happened prior to this. Instead, he is here, dressed in atrocious clothing, with no memory what happened, all the while forced to listen to them talking about him so leisurely, as though he is such a subject of leisure.

'I don't care about her,' the god says. 'And besides, it's for her own good that we took him from her hands. Did you take a look at her, Whis? She hardly looks the part to manage someone as complicated as that fusion.'

'If you say so,' the angel answers, seeming to disagree with his tone, but accepting with his words, so that they don't have a debate about it.

Because he believes that they have finished making him their form of verbal entertainment, he decides to finish his journey to them. Anger in his belly, and aggressive strength forced down, in the form of clenched hands, he makes his appearance through the immediate entrance to where they are.

'Why am I here?' he quietly demands of the both of them.

Interestingly, neither of them direct their attention to him. It's interesting that they don't, but more than that, it's also vexing. Extremely. After making a show of him between them with their words, they should at least have the courtesy to acknowledge his presence. How more uncultured can they be, for a pair of deities?

'You're awake,' the god drawls, still not turning to meet him with his eyes.

Scowling at the god's audacity, also choosing to remain standing where he is, Zamaku looks around, to imprint into his being, once and for all, that he doesn't like being here. He doesn't appreciate the god sitting with his head lazily thrown back, not giving him his due attention, and he doesn't like the angel sitting across from his god, his ankles crossed and behaving as equally uninterested in his presence, as the god that he serves. He doesn't like any of this, and so, he makes sure to command his attention from them.

' _Why am I here_?' he asks in a tremendously raised voice.

After the question has left his mouth, he instantly hates that he had to lose his composure that way. That he had to dive down to the stature of a weakling, who's only power is to make a noise, to seem significant, is unbefitting. He hates that he got to this point. He hates that he particularly allowed himself to get to this point, when there could've been a better way to express his mind, and not commence that uncivilised ruckus for attention. His presence alone, being who he is, should command attention, and yet, here he is, succumbed to the lowly tactic of screaming, to express himself.

How _does_ he forgive himself for that?

That aside, seeing as it's already done, he should rather focus on rectifying that mishap. More importantly now, he should attempt for an atonement within, by pulling himself together, into the well pressed being that he is, and present his question again, without losing himself in the process.

'I said,' he restructures his voice to be perfectly even, 'why am I here?'

All of a sudden, probably as a direct response to his question, the god appears right in front of him, bearing the most piqued expression on his face. If anything about his barred teeth, and his gathered eyebrows, is meant to be menacing, Zamaku doesn't fall into its trap. He is who he is, after all, and he is not subject to conform to the rules and ideals as the rest of existence.

'Watch how you address me!' the god growls at him.

How childish! How ineffective too!

Really, he's curious, did the god mean for that tone and those words, to scare him, Zamaku? The wonder, is enough to draw a smirk on his face at the colossal fail of the god's intent. Mockingly, Zamaku looks away from him. As much as he is unimpressed by the failed attempt, he also doesn't have time to entertain this. Either the god answers his question first, as it should be, or he reciprocates how the god is ignoring to answer him.

' _You_ watch how you ignore _me_ ,' he hisses, turning his face back to the god.

As the god starts to growl, no doubt feeling insulted, his angel chooses that very moment to appear where they are standing.

'Now, now, you two,' the angel smoothes, 'this won't do. If you are going to be living together, you _might_ want to start getting along.'

What was that?

Sharply, he turns to the angel. Did he just say living together? It certainly appears on his face, like he means every word of what he just spewed out of his mouth. And in that case, no, he does _not_ think so!

'I am not living here,' he says to the angel.

As though he knows better than anybody else, the angel simply smiles at him, before saying, 'You are.'

'If _only_ you could make me,' he evenly returns, fiercely staring at the blue one.

He means it. It's not a threat, or a dictation of terms, it's simply him exercising his dominant authority, to silently prove that he is not confined to the same things as the rest of existence. Evidently, though, judging from his soft laugh, the angel finds some word of what he stated, funny. Does that stand to mean, that the angel doubts him?

'You're going to be quite entertaining, I suspect,' the angel answers his stare.

The angel seems to think it's funny to be laughed at, does he? He believes that he, Zamaku, will be entertainment for him? He is the owner of the name to be feared above all others, the one who no one can bear to hear, without quivering at the lip, for his magnificence, and yet the angel is degrading him this way? Reducing him to become an entertainment piece?

Well, he'll show him.

Acting quickly, to provoke the angel where it hurts, he swiftly lifts his knee upwards, to make impacted contact with the god before him, as he forces his own head to hit the purple god's forehead. As intended, the god is forced him back with great pain for company. An unexpected sound of 'oof' fills the air, right out of the god's own mouth, for his own discomfort. If Zamaku's being honest, he's amazed at what he did.

Then, he's shocked at the impact.

And finally, he feels a strong sense of pride.

How can he not feel all of those things, when his body has been doing all types of funny things from the beginning? He hoped it, but he didn't fully expect the attacks to pack that much force when they landed. He's amazed at how his body listened to him, not even that, it just naturally followed his thoughts and acted on them. He's shocked at the impact, because the god should've read that move, and avoided it, but apparently, he's just too fast to be caught even by the god's eye. That, he's proud of, that he looks at the angel simply to laugh in triumph.

'Like I said,' the angel inclines his head towards him, 'you're going to be quite entertaining.'

Following that, just like that, the angel leaves, confusing him a little bit. What, he doesn't care that his god was just hit? Wasn't he supposed to say something about his god being disrespected? It's not that he particularly cares, in any case, although, it would've been more satisfying to get a reaction. Nonetheless, he stands where he is, turning his back to the god, who is beginning to regain his composure.

'You hit me!' the god outrages, his hands still clutching his stomach in support.

'Your point?' he asks through a pulled face, because that isn't a secret.

To his visible glee, the god looks stunned and lost, and solely to leave him in that state, Zamaku decides to take his leave and look for the angel instead.

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 **26Chapters**

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He'll admit that it's outside of his role to do the searching, for that angel no less, and yet, he feels an inexplicable burning to know something of what is going on, and why he doesn't have any recollection of anything. He hates to be the one on the needy end, however, he needs this, and so, he will do his best to make sure that he seems in perfect control throughout the entire conversation. He'll pose his questions, so that he doesn't have to ask them.

'The woman...' he starts when he finds the angel standing at the bank of the water.

He doesn't remember anything about her after displaying her lack of fear for him, once he returned from the future. The most that sticks out about her in his mind, is how she didn't bow in fear as the rest of the people who met him, did.

'Do you really care?' the angel asks, facing him for good measure.

All right, firstly, he will not be questioned, but... Since the question has been produced, he's inclined to analyse it in his head. What he knows so far, is that she's the one person who defied him, who didn't look afraid of him at all. In a sea of looks of fear that he got from everyone else, her unbothered face sticks out in his memory, and... He wonders, does she feel anything at all, now that he is here? If she wasn't afraid of him, she most probably doesn't care where he is... But still, the question remains, does _he_ care?

'She is worried about you,' the angel tells him, using two of his fingers to trace a hooked v in the air between them, and then adds, 'You remember, don't you?'

Strangely, all of a sudden, he _does_ have a vivid recollection now. What bothers him about the memories flooding his mind, isn't that he realises that the angel had tampered with his mind, it's actually seeing the insolent behaviour of the woman, and her nerve to challenge him, as though they are equals. And then... To make matters worse, she displayed the infuriating attitude of daring to show him compassion and worry!

Absolutely not! He already felt that at the time of her blatant disrespect, but being presented with the memory now, he thinks those previous thoughts all over again. Clearly, he needs to show her where her place is, because he can't have her treating him as one of the others in her life.

'She knows I'm here?' he wonders more to himself than asks the angel.

'Possibly not,' the angel responds. 'Would you like to see her?'

He hears the question, and frankly, he doesn't care much to answer it, more than he thinks that he will see her in any case. Naturally, thinking that way, he doesn't give the angel an answer, who in turn, silently looks at him, possibly contemplating something, from the looks of it.

'She was making me food,' he remembers, slightly redirecting the conversation.

She was making him food, his thoughts concentrate on that for a moment. Still, though, she angers him. His thoughts of her making him food, lead him to what the angel told him. In fact, it has more to do with his memory in the bathroom, than what the angel told him.

Why should she worry about him?

And why does he feel strange inside, when remembering her worried eyes, and realising the care that she carries for him?

Why is he feeling _that_ and anger at the same time?

No, really, (he pointedly looks at the angel, as though waiting for an actual answer) he wants to know _why_ does she have to feel like that about him?

He doesn't know what it is, but his inside, not his head, feels that she could spend her time doing something else, but she's choosing to be worried about him. It shouldn't be that way, his inside feels, and suddenly, he just _wants_ to hit the angel.

That feeling, he doesn't like.

The part about hitting the angel yes, that he loves to no end, but feeling angry with her for being worried, no, he doesn't like. He wants that feeling to go away altogether. Perhaps, if he sees her... It will go away...? There's nothing like looking anger in the face...

'I want my food,' he says, putting it out there that he has every intention of going back to that woman.

'We have food here,' he is told by the angel. 'You are not a prisoner. You are free to do as you please. To an extent, of course.'

Added on to the previous rash reason, now he has another reason to want to hit the angel. Who does the angel think he is, telling him what rights he has?

'I don't need your permission, or approval to do anything around here,' he hotly retorts. 'You must not realise just how powerful I am, angel.'

'No,' the angel disagrees with him, 'I do realise it. Which is why you are here. I don't particularly want the same thing that happened to Zamasu, to happen to you.'

Zamasu. Of course! How did he forget about that one? Zamasu is... To him, specifically, Zamasu is fragment of something not particularly important. He doesn't know how to describe it exactly, although, at the moment, he can say that his only concern for Zamasu, extends only to curiosity. Curiosity, but in the form of enquiring what plan the angel and his god, have for him, that supposedly happened to Zamasu. Nothing more than that.

'What happened to Zamasu?'

At first, the angel only looks straight at him. His eyes don't give much away, that is until a small gleam runs over them, only to disappear the next second. All of a sudden, looking at the angel, he is inclined to believe that the angel is fighting with himself in his mind, whether to speak of one thing, or tell him the other alternative.

'All you need to know,' the angel speaks at last, 'is that you will never see him again. Nobody will.'

Well, what does he do with that information? Nothing at all, his head tells him. It's better that he focuses on something that he can rectify, not useless information.

'I want to eat,' he sighs, oddly feeling minimal effects of exertion. 'Take me to eat.'

'I'm sure you can find the kitchen by yourself,' the angel says. 'I already told you that you aren't imprisoned.'

'Take me to the woman to eat,' he clarifies, just barely managing to not raise his voice with impatience for his tardiness to understand.

He's not asking for permission, because he can just go to her. He only wants it clear that his feelings about that woman, are purely hostile. He doesn't want to it to be mistaken, that he has some fixation with her either, but the problem is, she is the only one so far who hasn't trembled in fear, and that, he takes as an insult. He has to scare her, and then only he will be satisfied.

'Well, I suppose I should,' the angel considers by tilting his head to the side. 'It was rather unfair how we took you from her. I suppose that I owe it to her, to say a proper goodbye to you. Stand behind me, please. And place you hand on my back.'

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 **26Chapters**

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He should've thought of some scare tactic on the way here, Zamaku reprimands himself. Now that he's arrived with the angel, and he finds her heavily seated on the couch, he regrets that he didn't make a well showy entrance. That, at least, would've inspired a different attitude in her once she realised that he was back in the house with her. None of her looking drained, and remaining seated, would've happened, had he made a proper entrance.

'Where is my food?' he demands in the calmest tone possible.

He should be using a louder tone, a more frightening and threatening tone, in fact, however, he is not a barbarian. He is not uncivilized to that point of raising his voice to command fear out of her, least of all when she looks that drained. Perhaps that time will come, (with her, he cannot say that it won't come), but until it comes, he will not stoop to find it this early on. Fortunately, she finds the demand in his voice, and easily gets up from her seat.

Yes, she should serve without defiance!

Her energy is not lively, but somehow he just knows that she is not tired. She is the difference between exhausted energy, and non-existent energy. It's peculiar about her... Nonetheless, he watches her go to the kitchen and deftly go about bringing out what she needs to, in preparation for him to begin eating. He finds it peculiar, though, why hasn't she said anything all this time? She's looked at him, she's clearly seen him, but why hasn't she spoken one single word to him? And for the hatred of irritation, why does he feel that she should rather be clinging onto him, and expressing how glad she is to have him back? Just why?

Mostly because he doesn't want his mind to dwell on his feelings, he goes to sit down at the table. Not so long after that, she places an empty plate in front of him, silently telling him to start with the dishes laid out on the table, while she takes a seat across from him. Although he does spare her a look to see if she will finally say something to him, he doesn't urge her to, when he realises that she simply plan to watch him.

No matter, he shrugs away and returning to his plate, she may watch him, and may take in all of his magnificence as he eats in the meantime. He won't deny her the privilege.

Halfway through his meal, which he is inelegantly, against his will, gobbling down, he feels her softly place her hand over his, before he lifts his eyes from his plate to her hand. From the sharpest corner of his mind, he feels the urge to outrage at himself for putting his free hand on the table, and allowing her the opportunity to touch him. Except, her still small voice pours a volume of water on that particular flame of his.

'Do you like the food?'

He had been about to swallow the food in his mouth, when he stops just like that. He'd been looking at her before, but now that he's not chewing his food anymore, he can finally see her in her completeness.

He should close his eyes, he thinks.

Just as he regretted putting his hand on the table, he immediately regrets keeping his eyes on her, because there are all types of telling features on her face. Her eyes speak the loudest to him. He would've liked for it to end there, with her eyes, only, her crooked smile does more than speak, it paints a distorted picture. Much more than her crooked smile, though, her reddening nose tells a deeper story than that surface picture. And then her coloured cheeks... They emboss more prominently that she is _not_ happy.

He can't tell what she _is_ , but he just knows what she is _not_ at the moment. Obviously, something is wrong with him, because he doesn't _feel_ invincible anymore.

Looking at his hand under her soft and gentle touch, he concludes that something is wrong with him indeed. That's just completely wrong. He then shifts his gaze from his hand to the angel, waiting to see how _he'll_ handle this, and perhaps confirm once more that something is wrong with him. The angel does nothing, not in movement, not in speech, so he returns his attention to the woman. He hasn't yet said anything to her, because he doesn't know where to start. Much less now that...

A deliberate clearing of the throat from his side, interrupts his concentration on her, but he doesn't look away from her. If he is to look away from her, she should do it first.

'Miss Chi-Chi, is it?' the angel speaks, making her turn to him. 'I think it's time to go.'

In response, she quakes at the announcement. That observation, makes him hastily turn from her, to the angel. From what he sees, the angle doesn't appear to be making a light joke, which is why he looks back at the woman.

But how?

How can she look so distraught about what was said, without making the effort to do anything about it? Just how? And how does she just lift her hand off his, leaving him with the strangest cold in her hand's place?

'I'm not finished,' he angrily growls over his shoulder to the angel, not all that sure why he is suddenly very angry.

'This was never for you,' the angel softly reminds him.

 _He's not complaining for himself either_ , a soft voice in his head says.

He would've given time to contend that voice, but right then, the woman turns away from him. She does is so expertly, like she had been expecting to do it, but not before he's caught the shine of tears in her eyes. It's only that instantly after that, the angel touches him, and they are suddenly gone from that setting, that he doesn't get to investigate this attitude of hers.

'What do you want with me?' he demands of the angel, fiercely turning around to be eye to eye with him.

They are no longer in the presence of that woman, but they haven't started their travelling journey yet

'You must separate as a fusion, before we allow you back on Earth again,' the angel tells him. 'It is said that a fusion for those not gods only lasts an hour, but it has been more than that for you, which is worrisome. And so, until you can separate into two beings again, you will have no access to the Earth again. That was a small courtesy that I owed that poor woman, but no more. You will never leave Lord Beerus' planet again. Your hand on my back, please.'

How was that a courtesy for her, if he didn't even get to hear her say anything to him? She clearly turned away from him, not saying anything, and again, he was left feeling that he isn't invincible, and the angel claims that to be a courteous thing?

'I'm not going back with you,' he announces, mentally preparing himself to go back into the house.

'Try anything,' the angel warns him, 'and I will have you back here sooner than you can run. Do _not_ make me lose patience with you, _sir_.'

Through his anger, and feelings of incomplete business in that house, he somehow manages to find a great thrill in the angel's warning, setting him ablaze with curiosity to test that statement.

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Chapter 10, **Jellyfish In The Sky.**


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